Zombie / Junk Debt
I was watching a video on the Yahoo page early this morning about old debt, raising it’s head and coming after you again years later. It is really scary what some debt collectors will do to collect money. Sometimes this debt can even be a fraud! What happens is that someone you owed a debt to will sell that debt to collection agencies for pennies on the dollar and the collection agency tries to collect it from you. They will use any tactic they can to get money out of you. There are statute of limitations for old debts, usually around seven years. Find out what that limitation is in your state. Also, your credit can no longer be ruined by these old debts. Learn what your rights are. One thing is for sure, don’t let them “restart” you debt by agreeing to pay them. PLEASE what this video to become better informed.
Pay It Forward Challenge.
Here's a chance to get a surprise from me, on a surprise date, in the next 365 days. (I'm responding to this via Rachel at Sliding Through Life.)
Here are the rules:
1.~Leave a comment on my blog that says you want to play. First three folks to comment will get a gift from ME. (If I don't know it already, let me know how I can contact you, an e-mail is fine, and I do now have an e-mail added to my profile!)
2.~Do the same thing on your blog! The first three folks who leave a comment and commit to doing this on their blog, too, will get a surprise from YOU at a surprise time in the next 365 days!
This should prove to be fun.....and interesting. This is a great way to make new friends too.....let's see what happens.
The Ultimate Recipe Showdown: Do you have an original recipe that is "to die for"? If you are willing to share it and win a few dollars at the same time, go check out this webpage for details.
Have a great week everyone!
posted by Lucy Stern @ 4:54 AM
18 comments
18 Comments:
Yipppeeee!!!
I'd like to get something from you!
Email me at jamiedawnie@gmail.com.
I'll do this at my blog too.
I saw this at Rachel's.
This will be fun!!
I am not doing the pay it forward thing. But, I do want to comment on the credit collection fraud. This does happen and people start thinking they are responsible in some way. Forget it. It is a scam and you should contact the Attorney General for your state and copy the letter to the collection agency. All contact from them will cease rapdily.
hi lucy. thanks for the info on the debt collectors. that's very useful and helpful information. and thanks for your thoughtful comment on my blog.
:)
maria
Hi Lucy -- This is my 'almost lucky day'! I missed being number three by one.
But I will live. I don't think anyone in our family rides bicycles. Motorcycles, convertibles, and old cars, yes.
I also think everyone in our family have at least one bike, we have six in our garage. A couple of them are over thirty years old.
I watched that old debt collector thing. Another thing is, do not acknowledge the debt. That revives it.
[i.e., "Yes, I owe you $75 but the statute of limitations has run" just revived it.]
["If that debt does exist, you can't collect it because the statute of limitations has run" does not revive it.]
[Debt collectors often will trick you into acknowledging it by stating the amount owed incorrectly. Then you tell them what it really was, that oftimes will revive the debt by acknowledgement.]
The statute of limitations does not extinguish the debt, it just make it impossible to be collected in court.
The thinking is that if someone waits that long (four years most times in texas for written debt, one year for an oral debt) they were not prudent in collecting it.
..
I know for a fact that this happens and some of the collectors are extreemly rude making threats even.
I know someone this happened to.
Given the recent recipe stuff on your blog... I read this post QUICKLY as having a title of "Zombie / Junk Diet". Well after reading the post, I went back and re-read it in my LESS THAN my 1000 word per minute pace, but I don't like the thought of it even if it's NOT a diet. Nether one does much for my stomach! ~ jb///
i have been blogging with nosurfgirl lately and noticed that maybe she was offended, so i thought i would go to one of her friend's blog and try to make peace( you remember like when we were dating many years ago and something went wrong so you went to the best friend for advice) , but after seeing how insitefull this blog is, to heck with nosurfgirl...you are really with it, girl
I know about the zombie debt thing. We had someone calling here, about a debt we supposedly owed (we didn't!) and I put a stop to it pretty quick. Haven't heard from them since. You have to be so careful these days. If it's not one thing it's another with the scams and fraud.
Hope all is well with you and yours, Lucy. It's cold and icky here, and we may have snow by morning. Hope the weather's better in Houston.
Have a great week!
Love and hugs,
Diane
I read about this a while back on MSN or something. I think that happened to my m-i-l. It was old debt they thought they paid off. I know they couldn't find proof of it at the time. I wonder what they did about that.....
I watched the news video about debt. Again, your post has helped me. Thank you!!
Dear Lucy ~~ Life is difficult enough at times without all these scams to worry about.
Thanks for your comments about Who Walks into our lives, and glad you enjoyed the questions and answers about Australia.
Take care, Love, Merle.
Lucy, excuse me for being late but I just read your last post about, among other things, green tea. I have a favorite beverage that contains tea, green or otherwise, that you might enjoy. I call it, "Cofftee." I put a teabag into a large cup of water and heat it in the microwave for two minutes. Then, after pressing the boiled bag against the inside of the cup with a spoon (to get as much tea as possible)I add a half teaspoon of instant Folgers to the cup then sweeten and cream it to taste. 'yum'
I went thru your town yesterday. Sorry I had no time to visit. Maybe next time. Good post.
It is really terrible the way these Collectors dog people, and as you say, will do anthing to get you to pay, even when it is over!!!
Glad you are playing "Pay It Forward".....I posted it on my blog, too!
I look forward to my surprise, don't you?
lucy has left two comments on two blogs, but i think she has yet to go to the most interesting it has religion ideas of all the blogs and that is platoonoffour,blogspot.com.....tak3e the time and i think you will be highly uplifted, especially the ones on SANPETE.
Thank you Lucy, for your vote of confidence of Adi!
Thank you too for the prize next year. I will post mine, maybe Monday or Tuesday.
I guess we missed Cliff.
..
How to reverse boycott debt collectors.
When a debt collector/debt collection/debt buyer company can repeatedly call with the intent of getting money their customers can repeatedly answer or call back with the intent of not giving them any. They need people to pay with as little talk as possible. They don't want to talk with people who know they are never going to pay. Be all talk and no pay. Answer when convenient. Call back. Give no information. Verify nothing. Ask as many questions as you can. Answer none.
Don't ignore/block/report them. It doesn't work. These folks want you to ignore them for as long as you can stand to or until you give them something valuable like money or information. Ignoring them is being their good customer. Sending a cease and desist is giving information. It lets them know you are still alive and remain their good customer. Preparing to initiate unlikely individual legal battles is being their good customer.
Be their bad customer. Make them talk to you fruitlessly for as long as they can stand to or until they stop selecting you as their customer. These companies cannot spend seconds much less minutes on the phone with every person who will never send them a dime. But they don't know who that is. You do. That knowledge is power. Every second you can keep their staff on the phone will render their business less profitable giving them a reason to never call you again.
Calling will not reset your SOL. Making a partial payment will.
One person who does this likes to ask general questions they should but usually won't answer, "May I have the name and address of your agent for service of process?" Calmly and slowly ask them to spell every word in the address. Read it back for verification. Control the pace. If they are rushing then politely ask them to slowly repeat. "Are you a corporation and if so in which state are you incorporated?" Repeat your questions when you don't get direct answers. When they won't answer a question ask, "Would you like to comply with the business and professions codes of your state?" That is usually the point when they hang up on me but if they say they want to comply then begin your questions again.
Repeat while you have the spare time. These folks have many victims and few operators. If everyone calls back but pays nothing the mass auto-dialer business model becomes unprofitable. Don't aid and comfort the enemy by ignoring them. Call! Have a nice long slow friendly chat! Make them hang up first.
Press 2 for Spanish.
There are certainly enough victims to take down debt collectors so ignoring/blocking seems downright Orwellian. Really? We're just going to passively submit and go with a block list or however we manage ignoring an endless stream of unwanted phone calls day after day? No! Unite or remain conquered. Answer/return every call - become well practiced at keeping these folks on the phone - or count yourself not amongst the free.
Yes, I had an experience when it come to debt collectors too at first it easy and convenient to pay but when you I had a financial problem, they became my biggest problems too, they are doing every possible way just to get their money back, that's why I called the help of a Capital Accounts Collection Agency and it worked they provided a solution to my debt problems they are the one who deals with the debt collectors and fixed my payments according to what I can give per month.
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