We often hear cases where debt collectors try to collect a debt quite old or no longer valid for the debt owner. Most scavenger debt collectors buy old or expired debts for a meager price and then threaten the debt owners to pay the debt. No matter how much pressure they put on you, there is no legal obligation under which you must pay the debt.
Suppose you are getting frequent calls or messages from Zombie debt collectors. In that case, you must contact a Chicago debt lawyer as soon as possible and ensure that you report the illegal practices and harassment tactics that are troubling you.
Strategies that Zombie debt collectors use to get money from you
- Asking for a small payment for not troubling you
Most Zombie debt collectors take the help of illegal practices to extract old or invalid debts from debt owners. Oft, these scavengers ask you to pay a small amount of the senior debt on which the statute of limitation has expired.
However, most people do not know that once you make a payment, small or big, the statute of limitation is renewed, and then the Zombie debt collectors can sue you for collecting the entire debt. So the Zombie debt collector will persistently try their best to pay you any amount for the expired debt.
- Giving threats of filing a lawsuit against you
Zombie debt collectors use standard tactics to get you to pay an old debt to blackmail you. The collector will scare you with various threats regarding the law and tell you they will file a lawsuit against you if you do not pay the debt.
However, you must remember that they have no legal right to claim the expired debt, so it is just a way of getting to pay you the debt. Unless you pay the initial amount, they cannot sue you for not paying the debt as it is no longer valid.
- Abusing and harassing
Just like standard debt collectors harass people for debt collection, Zombie debt collectors verbally abuse you over the phone. However, the degree of abuse might be much higher in Zombie debt collectors as they are known for using harsh language and violating rules to extort money.
- Showcasing themselves as a litigation company
Most of the time, Zombie debt collectors portray them as a part of the law firm. However, most of these collectors are neither lawyers nor belong to any law firms. They say to blackmail you that a lawsuit might be registered in your name if you pay the debt.