The answer is that it depends. Debt collectors are prohibited from engaging in abuse and harassment to get you to pay a debt. You might also be exempt from collection which means that even if you have a judgment against you, the debt collector might not actually be able to force you to pay the judgment. If you are not exempt, you might want to try to enter a payment plan to try to avoid a lawsuit. Ultimately, though, your creditor or debt collector must sue you in order to force you to pay any debt. Of course, the creditor or debt collector can report the delinquent debt to credit reporting agencies before filing suit. Debt collectors must still follow federal rules regarding how they try to collect debts and you have rights under certain federal laws like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.