The Tale of a Dead Man Walking....

Have you ever heard of the tale of the dead man walking?  If not, just ask debt collector, Phillips & Cohen.  Apparently, they know all about it.  A consumer received a debt collection letter from Phillips & Cohen – well actually they wrote to the debtor’s estate, passing on condolences and seeking to obtain money for a debt.  Get this, they even enclosed a leaflet advising his family on how to wind up his estate and pay off debt.  The only problem was, he wasn’t deceased.

Three weeks pass and the consumer received a second notice asking for money from the estate of his son.  Unfortunately, his son had tragically died years earlier, causing this family great distress.

After numerous attempts, the consumer was able to stop the debt collector from contacting him in regards to his late son’s debt. 

But this made me curious as to think how many people may get a letter such as this after a loved one as passed.  And how many people actually pay their loved ones debt because they are in such distress when the debt collector comes knocking?

Generally, the deceased’s family member is not liable for any debts, unless they were in joint names.  Please be sure to pass this information on if you know someone who has lost a loved one.