NACA in the News: Zombie Debt: How Collectors Trick Consumers into Reviving Dead Debts

The Washington Post

Zombie Debt: How Collectors Trick Consumers into Reviving Dead Debts.

“Consumers just don’t know the ins and outs of state and federal debt-collection laws and probably will not understand the consequences in the fine print” of making a payment that can revive an old debt, said Christine Hines, the legislative director for the National Association of Consumer Advocates, which lobbied for the CFPB to ban collection of debts beyond their statutes of limitations. “We’re talking about old debt. That’s why it’s called a zombie. They often lack reliable records for both the collector and the consumer to rely on.”