Statute of Limitations

In the past 10 years, a growing trend has ensued, where aggressive debt collectors buy old debt accounts and actively pursue consumers to collect the debt, even though the statute of limitations has past. Each state has a statute of limitations on old credit card debts. The statute of limitations refers to the period after which, creditors cannot sue you to collect the debt. The length of time is calculated from your last payment date or last activity date (this is when you last used the card).

This is a violation of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. Some creditors even lie and say that the statute of limitations starts from the day that they purchased the debt account. These companies are so bold that some of them will threaten to sue you and in fact proceed with the court case – don’t give in. Others will harass you day and night, use profanity or promise to erase negative marks off your credit repot, if you send in a minimal payment.

Tips

• The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act indicates that there are certain things that creditors cannot do in their attempt to collect debt. Go to

• Do not send in a payment - if the statute of limitations is past in your state. Doing so, will make your delinquency look recent. It will also give the debt collectors the idea that you are an easy target and they may attack you on other fronts.

• Keep an eye on your credit report to make sure that they are not reporting negative information about you. Your old debt account should not be reflected on your credit report since the statute of limitations is past. If you find that they are reporting the information, take corrective action immediately and fix any errors.

• If possible, ignore all contact with the debt collection agency. Do not accept their phone calls. If they send you notices in the mail, you will want to keep these as proof of their harassment.

• Verify the statute of limitations information with your State Attorney’s office and solicit further advice on how to navigate your situation.