New debt collection agency collecting old debt (15 years old)

[Jojo9786]

Hello.

Over 15 years ago, I got myself into debt. Roughly £15,000

Did ignore for many years, paid one or two off.

advised that most debts will now be statue barred.

received a letter from a new debt collection agency who have bought a debt. They are demanding payment.

They have also found my email address, which I have not registered anywhere other than my bank, so I’m confused as how they would have got this.

Do I reply to their email that this debt is statue barred? My husband thinks I should just pay it, but I’m worried if I do they will buy my other debt and chase me for that?

can someone please offer advise as they say I need to pay today.

[echat11]

Try not to worry.

As long as no payment has been made and no acknowledgement of the debt in writing in the last 6 years, then the debt maybe statute barred.
This is providing there is no CCJ for the debt. The Default date in important, so it's 6 years from that date.

Email the following.

https://legalbeagles.info/forums/for...ed-debt-letter

Update the thread.

You could send them a SAR request to find out how they obtained your email address, no doubt it was through the bank.

[PallasAthena]

They can demand payment and insist you pay by today as much as they like but unless the letter is a formal 'Letter of Claim under the Pre-Action Protocols' (PAPLOC) or a document from a court you can ignore it or send a statute barred letter if you are confident the debt is SB'd. Don't get bounced into doing something because of the debt collector's wholly artifical deadlines. They only do it to try and panic people into paying a debt that is no longer enforceable if it is SB'd.

I would suggest that you tell them that any future correspondence must be by post and not by email. Make sure you tell them your current address or there's a risk they could issue court proceedings to a previous address and you wouldn't know about it.

I'm not clear whether the debt collector who has emailed you have bought the debt themselves or whether they are just acting for someone else who has bought the debt.

Most likely your email address was in the paperwork of the original creditor and they passed it on to the debt buyer. They are entitled to do that.,

[Jojo9786]

It was a notice of assignment letter, from an old phone contract. It’s definitely over six years since last payment as my credit report and my parents have never received a CCJ or notification of CCJ to their address.

My email address is under five years old so not linked to the original creditor but have received an email to an old email account.

So I can email the statute barred letter back to them?

[echat11]

It was a notice of assignment letter, from an old phone contract. It’s definitely over six years since last payment as my credit report and my parents have never received a CCJ or notification of CCJ to their address.

My email address is under five years old so not linked to the original creditor but have received an email to an old email account.

So I can email the statute barred letter back to them?

Yes, send it, update the thread once they response.

[Jojo9786]

Thankyou ECHAT11 and PALLASATHENA I have had a reply from the DCA that they will update my account and should receive no more correspondence. Does this mean they agree the debt is statute barred?

[echat11]

Thankyou ECHAT11 and PALLASATHENA I have had a reply from the DCA that they will update my account and should receive no more correspondence. Does this mean they agree the debt is statute barred?

Well done.

Yes, keep hold of the 'Reply', so if the debt remains in the system that you have that 'Reply' to hand.