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Zombie debt
I have a case of Zombie Debt.
Zombie Debt Article
I have a really old debt from the early nineties that I paid off in 1997. I just got a bill from a collection agency for the same bill. I can see from my incomplete notes that in 1999 a new company tried to collect that debt and I had to get proof of wire transfers to get them to stop. (My records have the 550 orig. wire transfer, but I don't have a record of the 2 succeeding 125 payments so technically I don't have proof I paid the settlement amount. I'm not sure how hard it would be to get through the credit union.) This is a new company. It does NOT show on my credit report, so sites that help with correcting credit reports were not helping.
The letter tells me I can dispute in 30 days. It also says the last activity was 1997 when I paid it off. Should I argue that it's over seven years old and they should bug off, or go the harder route of showing I paid the original back 2 agencies ago. The amount they show is the original amount of the debt without any interest; when I settled in 1997 I paid 800.
They also agree to "settle" for $198....part of me is even thinking of just paying the d*** thing to make it go away. My worry is that if I do pay it, it will make it worse. "In fact, paying these old debts -- or even talking to the collection agency about them -- can make a bad situation worse."
Right now I'm just so frustrated, I could honestly cry. I have a 2-1/2 week vacation coming Wednesday, so I don't have much time before to act, and I'm going to be bummed thinking about it. I had worked so hard to clean up all the messes I made!
I'm concerned about the methods of "fighting back" in the article. "If ignoring them isn't working, consider writing a letter demanding the agency stop contacting you. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested. Federal law requires them to comply with your request. Make sure in the letter you specifically say that you aren't acknowledging you owe the debt. "
But it also says "Again, an attorney experienced in debt collection law might prove helpful in particularly difficult cases."
I would think an attorney is going to cost me more than the $198 or $324.
Words of wisdom appreciated. Fight as over 7, fight as paid, ignore, attorney seems to be the 4 main choices.
Zombie Debt Article
I have a really old debt from the early nineties that I paid off in 1997. I just got a bill from a collection agency for the same bill. I can see from my incomplete notes that in 1999 a new company tried to collect that debt and I had to get proof of wire transfers to get them to stop. (My records have the 550 orig. wire transfer, but I don't have a record of the 2 succeeding 125 payments so technically I don't have proof I paid the settlement amount. I'm not sure how hard it would be to get through the credit union.) This is a new company. It does NOT show on my credit report, so sites that help with correcting credit reports were not helping.
The letter tells me I can dispute in 30 days. It also says the last activity was 1997 when I paid it off. Should I argue that it's over seven years old and they should bug off, or go the harder route of showing I paid the original back 2 agencies ago. The amount they show is the original amount of the debt without any interest; when I settled in 1997 I paid 800.
They also agree to "settle" for $198....part of me is even thinking of just paying the d*** thing to make it go away. My worry is that if I do pay it, it will make it worse. "In fact, paying these old debts -- or even talking to the collection agency about them -- can make a bad situation worse."
Right now I'm just so frustrated, I could honestly cry. I have a 2-1/2 week vacation coming Wednesday, so I don't have much time before to act, and I'm going to be bummed thinking about it. I had worked so hard to clean up all the messes I made!
I'm concerned about the methods of "fighting back" in the article. "If ignoring them isn't working, consider writing a letter demanding the agency stop contacting you. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested. Federal law requires them to comply with your request. Make sure in the letter you specifically say that you aren't acknowledging you owe the debt. "
But it also says "Again, an attorney experienced in debt collection law might prove helpful in particularly difficult cases."
I would think an attorney is going to cost me more than the $198 or $324.
Words of wisdom appreciated. Fight as over 7, fight as paid, ignore, attorney seems to be the 4 main choices.
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