Debt of any kind isn’t really good, but there’s one type of debt that really seems to rise up to stop us from achieving the type of financial freedom that we all want. That type of debt is actually called zombie debt, and if you’ve got zombie debt creeping up every time you try to fix your credit, you might feel frustrated. There’s no need to feel frustrated. You see, you do have a certain set of rights afforded to you through federal law that the debt collectors have to adhere to. They are covered under the FDCPA, or the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This is a set of laws that actually govern how debt collectors approach you. They cannot call you at all hours of the night, nor can they call you freely at work if you tell them that you cannot receive calls at work. This set of consumer protection is very important, since you don’t want to just go without knowing what your rights are in the first place.
This actually does have something to do with zombie debt, don’t worry. You don’t have to necessarily pay on debts that are outside of the statute of limitations. This is the set of laws that vary state by state which govern the debt collection efforts that can be made against your account. If you have a very old debt, there is only a certain time window that the creditor can use to pursue that debt. After that statue of limitations has elapsed on the debt in question, you will still need to be vigilant. This is because junk debt buyers do purchase old debts in the hopes that you don’t know your rights. You might get a letter in the mail about a 12 year old debt that isn’t covered under any SOL, yet you still have them pressuring you to make a payment. If you didn’t know anything about the SOL, you might read their quasi-legal language and think that they are obligated to pay the debt. That’s just not the case at all.

What’s worse is that if you do end up paying that debt, it comes right back on your credit report, which can ruin your credit score since it is still technically a negative marker. When you have worked so hard to start re-building your credit, it can feel like the end of the world when zombie debt starts getting to you.
Fight back by sending out a letter that indicates that the debt in question is outside of the SOL, and per the FDCPA you have no obligation to pay the debt, nor does the collection agency have the right to collect on the debt in question. If they try to take you to court, this is a violation of the FDCPA and they are subject to a 1,000$ — payable to you. That’s just the tip of the iceberg — they can rack up multiple violations and have to also pay for any damages that you’ve incurred as a result of being in court. This can include court fees but has also included lost income from having to leave work, or daycare fees for your children if they weren’t already part of your household expenses. That’s pretty serious, and it should be taken seriously from every angle.
We can’t stress it enough — you really don’t have to be chased by zombie debt at all.
However, there are a few things that you will definitely want to keep in mind if you’re going to get serious about fighting debt. You want to make sure that your debt really is outside the statute of limitations before you start quoting legal facts to a debt collector on the phone or even in a letter. This is usually the date where the original contract was broken on your part. In the case of credit cards, this is when you first failed to make a payment. That’s when the clock starts ticking.
The problem is when people reaffirm the debt on the phone — if you acknowledge that the debt is yours, you can’t go back later and say that it’s not. In addition, you have to make sure that you aren’t being recorded saying that you’ll send in a payment, because that will reaffirm the account and the SOL will start all over again. The collection agencies know that people don’t understand this concept, so they’ll lure you into doing this and all sorts of other things.
If you’re mad, you definitely should be — however, you don’t want to lose your cool. The real triumph here is to use the law to your advantage — keep that in mind and you will always achieve the victory that you’ve dreamed of! Why not get started today?