Junk Debt

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Is an unknown company informed you that they now own your credit account and are demanding payment? Once a bank or credit company has unsuccessfully attempted to collect a debt, many will sell the account to a debt buyer. This new company is not a debt collection agency, but now owns you account outright. The debt buyer can now sue all administrative and legal remedies to collect the unpaid debt.

Debt buyers deal is what is sometimes called "junk debt." In many cases, the unpaid account is years old, having gone through both an internal collections department and an external collection agency. In fact, the account may already have a judgment or lien. Regardless, it is considered junk debt because the original creditor exhausted their efforts and deemed the balance as uncollectable. The debt buyer then swoops in and buys the account for pennies on the dollar, often purchased bundled with others, hoping they will collect enough to make it worth their investment. …show more content…

Moreover, it is also essential that you not pay them, at least until you are confident that you actually owe the debt. One of the biggest issues with debt buyers is that they tend to receive little more than a list of accounts without any history or supporting documentation. There are instances that your account was paid or discharged in a backruptcy, but the original creditor did not properly update your records. You then have the hassle of proving you no longer owe the balance. Worse yet, many unethical debt buyers will them sell your account again, knowing you don't owe

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