JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Could your old debt come back to haunt you? A man who used to live in Duval County said “zombie debt” appeared in his life seemingly out of nowhere.
Justin Purser said a debt of a few thousand dollars from close to 20 years ago had ballooned with interest to more than $11,000 when a debt collector came knocking for the first time in 2021.
An attorney at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid said they see “zombie debt” cases locally every week, and with the pandemic putting other types of debt collection on hold, like for mortgages and student loans, some collectors began resurrecting debt consumers might have thought was dead and buried.
“Honestly, I thought it was a joke,” Purser told the I-TEAM of his reaction to a notice in 2021 of an $11,000 debt from 2004.
“I was never never notified that I had any debt. Like, how is this possible? So I thought it was a joke, but unfortunately, it wasn’t,” he said.
Court records show a judgment against him in 2004 for a debt of about $2,800, and with attorneys’ fees, interest, and other costs, the total came to nearly $4,900.
About Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm focused on delivering economic, social, and housing justice to low-income and at-risk individuals and families on the First Coast.
If you are an attorney wanting to volunteer with probate and heirs property issues, contact JALA Pro Bono Director Aaron Irving, at (904) 356-8371, Ext. 363, or Aaron.Irving@jaxlegalaid.org.
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