Debt Collectors are Targeting Dead Family Members

Dozens of debt collection agencies are targeting the next of kin for the recently departed asking them if they would settle a debt for their family member. These debts are an existing balance on a credit card or bank loan, a final utility bill or a cell phone payment. These family members often have no legal obligation to pay these bills though they assume the responsibility anyway.

Dead people are the newest target for the debt collection industry and it is an expanding area. Improved database technology makes it easier for debt collectors to discover whose estates are opened in probate courts, giving them the ability to file timely claims. And when that doesn’t work, the personal phone call comes in to play.

Many family members pay the bills feeling that they’re carrying out the wishes of their dead family member, or out of a sense of morality and often because they do not know that they aren’t obligated to pay.

If you have any questions about whether you are obligated to pay a debt, or if a debt collector is harassing you about a debt that does not belong to you, please contact an attorney in your state for advice and a free case review.