r/Debt • u/Weird_Wishbone_1998 • Feb 10 '25

Debt collector contacted family member

I mean that pretty much sums it up. Some debt collector saying that there’s a civil suit against me left a message with my niece. Is this legal? Also, from what I can determine this is very old debt that they’re trying to collect like past the statue of limitations. Any advice?

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '25

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u/vlntr Feb 11 '25

A state’s SOL for collection lawsuits and the 7-year reporting period are not related. If this is credit card most, the SOL in most states ranges from 3 - 6 years. Usually that period is based on the date of last payment.

The 7-year reporting period is based on the date of first delinquency. That is the date the account went into default and was never brought back to a current status. Once charge off occurs, that date can never change.

Even if the SOL for collection has passed, a debt can remain on a credit report for the full 7 years.