Editing Debt collection (section)

==Collection practices==
Debt collectors who work on [[Commission (remuneration)|commission]] may be highly motivated to convince debtors to pay the debt. These practices may be regulated by the nation in which the collection activity occurs. Collection agencies are sometimes allowed to contact individuals other than the debtor, usually in an attempt to locate the debtor but without mentioning the debt.

At times a person with no connection to the debt or the debtor may be contacted by a collector by error. Examples include victims of [[identity theft]] and people erroneously targeted due to a similar name. Alternatively, the alleged debtor may dispute that the debt is payable. In such cases the alleged debtor can require that the collector or creditor prove that the debt is payable—in no jurisdiction does a debt exist merely because a collector says so.

===Estates===
Relatives of deceased people do not necessarily themselves have to pay the debts of the deceased,<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/business/04dead.html | title= You're Dead? That Won't Stop the Debt Collector| first=David|last=Streitfeld| work=The New York Times |date=4 March 2009}}</ref> but debts must be paid by the deceased person's [[Estate (law)|estate]]. However, where a deceased person is the co-owner of property that is secured by their debt, it may be possible for the creditor to force the sale of the property to satisfy the debt.

===International collection===
International debt collection is a specialised field. Not many companies specialize in this sort of collection as collection may require that their employees communicate in multiple languages and have a knowledge of the legal systems, laws and regulations of all nations in which they operate. Communication with a foreign debtor may occur in a language different from that used in the creditor's nation. Some debt collectors will partner with foreign debt collection agencies, with each agency involved in the collection process being familiar with the laws and languages of the nation in which it operates, allowing debt collection to occur through a local agency even when the debtor is in a different nation.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

===Re-aging of debt===
In some instances, a debt collector will attempt to revive a debt that has expired due to the [[statute of limitations]] by themselves making a payment on the debt, "to re-age the account in order to have more time to collect".<ref>Merlon Harper, ''Financial Freedom: A Guide for Personal Finances'' (2015), p. 20.</ref> Such a payment, usually in a relatively small amount, may appear on a credit card statement as an "agency payment" or "transactional payment", and may also be referred to as a "phantom payment" since it is made by the collection agency, without the knowledge or permission of the debtor.<ref name="bucci">{{cite book|last1=Bucci|first1=Stephen R.|title=Credit Repair for Dummies|date=6 August 2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0470411117|page=59|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2iUM3ag2KbwC|access-date=19 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.creditinfocenter.com/repair/reaging.shtml|title=Re-aging Accounts - Legal and Illegal Methods by Collection Agencies|date=15 July 2021 }}</ref> Because this payment is not made by the debtor, an agency payment does not extend the statute of limitations beyond the last date when the debtor personally made a payment on the debt,<ref name="bucci"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Consumer Reports: What Information Furnishers Need to Know|url=https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/consumer-reports-what-information-furnishers-need-know|website=Federal Trade Commission|access-date=19 January 2018|date=November 2016}}</ref> and will likely be disregarded by a court when a debtor claims that the debt is expired under an applicable statute of limitations.