Kikoff Inc.: why they're calling and what to do

CFPB PUBLIC RECORD · 1,873 COMPLAINTS AUGUST 2023–AUGUST 2026 · FREE, NO ACCOUNT

Kikoff Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, CA, also operating as Kikoff Lending, appears in the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s public complaint database with 1,873 debt-collection complaints received between August 2023 and August 2026. The debt types most often named in those complaints are i do not know, credit card debt, other debt. The most common complaint issue is “took or threatened to take negative or legal action.”

Two things are true at once: Kikoff Inc. is a real company, and a caller claiming to be Kikoff Inc. may not be — scammers impersonate real agencies precisely because they look up the same lists you do. The playbook below works for both cases, because it starts by making them prove everything in writing.

Your rights the moment they call

They must put it in writing. Within five days of first contact, a collector must send a written validation notice stating the amount, the creditor, and your dispute rights (15 U.S.C. §1692g).
Disputing pauses collection. Dispute the debt in writing within 30 days of that notice and Kikoff Inc. must stop collecting until it mails you verification. There is no deadline for them to respond — but until they do, they cannot lawfully keep collecting.
Harassment is illegal. No calls before 8am or after 9pm your time, no calls at work once you say so in writing, no threats, no lies about what they can do (15 U.S.C. §§1692c–1692e). Regulation F also presumes more than 7 calls in 7 days about one debt is harassment.
Time-barred debt can’t be sued on. If the debt is older than your state’s statute of limitations, threatening suit violates federal law. Find your state’s number →

The next 24 hours

Do not confirm the debt is yours on the phone. Anything you say can be treated as acknowledgment. Get the company name, mailing address, and amount claimed, then end the call politely.
Do not pay anything yet — not even a “good-faith” dollar. In many states a partial payment restarts the statute of limitations.
Check your records for the original bill and the date of last payment. The clock runs from last activity, not from when Kikoff Inc. acquired the debt.
Send a validation letter within 30 days of their written notice. Send it by mail with tracking, keep a copy.
If the debt is medical, also request an itemized bill from the provider and ask about financial assistance — hospital billing errors are common, and nonprofit-hospital charity care can apply even after a bill sells to collections.

The letter that makes them prove it

Debt validation request — template
To: Kikoff Inc.

Re: Account referenced in your notice dated [date]

I am responding to your contact about the above account. I dispute this debt and request validation under 15 U.S.C. §1692g. Please provide: (1) the amount and an itemization of the alleged debt; (2) the name and address of the original creditor; (3) documentation that you own or are authorized to collect this debt; (4) the date of the last payment on the account. As this dispute is made within thirty days of your notice, federal law requires that all collection activity cease until you provide validation (15 U.S.C. §1692g(b)). I also request that all further communication be in writing.

[Your name and mailing address]

Generate this letter with your details filled in — free, no account →

Complain where it counts

File free with the CFPB —Kikoff Inc.must respond to it, and your complaint joins the same public record this page is built from. Your state attorney general’s consumer-protection office takes complaints too, and state guides on this site link each one directly.

Common questions

Is Kikoff Inc. a real company or a scam?

Kikoff Inc. is a real company: it appears in the federal CFPB Consumer Complaint Database with 1,873 debt-collection complaints received between August 2023 and August 2026. It is based in San Francisco, CA. But a caller claiming to be Kikoff Inc. is not automatically really them — scammers impersonate real collection agencies. Verify by requesting the written validation notice federal law requires before you discuss or pay anything.

Why is Kikoff Inc. contacting me?

Collection agencies contact you because they were hired to collect a debt or bought one outright — sometimes accurately, sometimes about a debt that is not yours, already paid, or too old to sue on. The debt types most often named in those complaints are i do not know, credit card debt, other debt. The only way to know which applies to you is the written validation notice.

Should I pay Kikoff Inc. right away?

Not before the debt is validated. Under 15 U.S.C. §1692g you can demand written validation, and if you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days of the collector's validation notice, collection must stop until they mail verification. Paying — even a small amount — before checking dates can restart the statute of limitations in many states.

How do I make Kikoff Inc. stop calling me?

Under the FDCPA (15 U.S.C. §1692c) you can tell a collector in writing to cease contact, and you can tell them not to call you at work. They may then contact you only to confirm they are stopping or to notify you of a specific action such as a lawsuit. Stopping contact does not erase the debt — pair it with a validation dispute.

Can Kikoff Inc. sue me?

A collector can sue within your state's statute of limitations, which ranges from roughly 2 to 10 years depending on the state and debt type. Suing — or threatening to sue — on a time-barred debt violates federal Regulation F, whether or not the collector knew the debt was too old. Check your state's exact number in our state guides.

How do I file a complaint about Kikoff Inc.?

File free with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint — the company must respond, and your complaint joins the public record this page is built on. Also file with your state attorney general's consumer protection office.

Complaint figures are consumer submissions to the CFPB (August 2023–August 2026, retrieved August 26, 2026); the CFPB forwards each to the company for response. Counts reflect the volume of consumer reports, not findings of wrongdoing. Legal information, not legal advice.