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Lidiar con la muerte de un ser querido, especialmente durante esta época de crisis, ya es bastante difícil. Y lidiar con un cobrador de deudas que llama acerca de sus deudas, puede empeorar aún más las cosas. Si te encuentras en esta situación y te llama un cobrador de deudas, es importante que sepas quién es responsable de esas deudas, y lo que un cobrador de deudas puede — y no puede — hacer para cobrarlas.
 

Algunas cosas que tienes que saber:

  • Una deuda no desaparece cuando muere una persona. Pero, (generalmente) eso tampoco significa que tú la adeudes. Los deudores son los herederos testamentarios de la persona fallecida. Si el dinero de la herencia no es suficiente para cubrir la deuda, habitualmente queda impaga. Sin embargo, hay algunas excepciones. Por ejemplo, podrías ser responsable de la deuda si actuaste como cosignatario (firmaste conjuntamente un compromiso de pago), o en algunos casos, si eres el cónyuge de la persona fallecida. Consulta otras posibles excepciones a la regla haciendo clic aquí.
  • Los cobradores de deudas solo pueden hablar con determinadas personas sobre las deudas de la persona fallecida. Los cobradores pueden hablar sobre las deudas de la persona fallecida con el cónyuge de dicha persona, sus padres (si el fallecido era menor de edad), el tutor, albaceas o administrador del fallecido, o cualquier otra persona autorizada para pagar las deudas con los activos de la herencia. El cobrador de deudas no puede hablar con nadie más acerca de estas deudas. Si los cobradores no saben cómo ubicar a la persona indicada, pueden comunicarse con otros familiares para pedir la información de contacto correcta. Pero sólo pueden llamar una vez a cada persona y durante la llamada para conseguir la información de contacto no pueden entran en detalles sobre la deuda ni pedirle un pago al familiar.
  • Los cobradores de deudas no pueden distorsionar la verdad para lograr que les pagues. Los cobradores de deudas no pueden mentir ni implicar que tú o cualquier otro miembro de la familia está obligado legalmente a pagar las deudas de la herencia de su propio bolsillo. Es ilegal que te acosen para que tú pagues la deuda de tu bolsillo. Si el fallecido deja deudas y no deja ningún bien, por lo general no eres responsable de pagar.
  • Tú tienes derechos. Si piensas que no debes una parte (o la totalidad) de la deuda, o simplemente si no reconoces la deuda, envíale una carta al cobrador para disputarla. Sé lo más específico posible acerca de los motivos por los cuales piensas que la deuda es incorrecta – pero suministra la menor cantidad posible de información personal. Una vez que recibas el aviso de validación (en donde se indica cuánto debes, a quién le debes y qué tienes que hacer si crees que esa deuda no te pertenece), tienes 30 días para enviar la carta de disputa. Por ley, a partir de ese momento el cobrador debe dejar de comunicarse contigo – sin embargo, la deuda no desaparece. Pero si el cobrador te envía una verificación de la deuda por escrito, puede volver a comunicarse contigo. Si la cantidad de llamadas de cobranza se pasa de la raya, puedes frenarlas. Sólo tienes que enviarle una carta al cobrador diciéndole que deje de llamarte a ti y a los otros herederos. Guarda una copia de la carta para tus registros. Que dejen de llamarte no significa que la deuda esté cancelada. De todas maneras, aún podrían demandarte o reportar la deuda a una compañía de informes crediticios.

Para más información, lee Deudas de familiares fallecidos.

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El propósito de este blog y su sección de comentarios es informar a los lectores acerca de la actividad de la Comisión Federal de Comercio (FTC) y compartir información con los lectores para ayudarlos a evitar, reportar y recuperarse del fraude, las estafas y las malas prácticas comerciales. Valoramos sus opiniones, ideas e inquietudes y alentamos los comentarios. Pero tenga presente que este es un blog que está bajo moderación. Revisamos todos los comentarios antes de publicarlos y no publicaremos comentarios que no cumplan con nuestra política de comentarios. Esperamos que los comentaristas traten a los redactores del blog y entre sí con respeto.

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addis3363
June 10, 2020
How is a first mortage treated?
Toniw1018
June 10, 2020
Hello, i dn't think another should be responsible for another debt if their name is no where on. I feel that they have passed away they debt should be closed out as well with proof of death. And families that have death in their family should be bother with that during their grieving period of a love one. Thank you
Texasrelative
September 28, 2020

En respuesta a por Toniw1018

We have been harassed about my dads debt,. the only debt he left was his hospital bills from when he passed. We have been told that mom might lose her house which was paid off by both of them. Shes retired and doesn't even get enough to pay her own bills which my wife and I help, we also pay for her taxes and home insurance. We haven't had any court orders or any other notice of anything other than a collection agency. Some of them write off what he owed but this particular one is being very aggressive.
Cappy
June 10, 2020
When my husband died, he left a large amount of debt of which I hadn't been aware. Knowing how he loved to spend other people's money, I waited for the bills to show up. I also notified the county Register of Wills. After receiving a copy of his death certificate, they provided official documentation naming me as executor. Make it easier on your family; make out a will! Not making one won't stop you from dying. It will, however, make it more difficult on your grieving family. When you die, they'll already have enough to deal with. Don't add to it because you didn't want to face your eventual death. Don't wait. You could die at any moment in a car accident, a fall, a heart attack. Death isn't just for other people. Thinking a person's death could afford scammers the opportunity to try and claim money not owed to them, I contacted the credit reporting agencies to report my husband's death. I provided a copy of his death certificate, along with the official paperwork naming me his executor to one of them, and requested a copy of his credit report. They sent it to my quickly. Using the combined info, and working with the Register of Wills office, I was able to determine who was actually owed what. Because he owed more than he had, the amounts had to be pro-rated, meaning they receive only a portion of what was owed. The Register of Wills office also informed me that no matter if a company demanded I send them a copy of the death certificate and Letters of Administration paperwork naming me as executor, I did not have to do that. I only had to tell them if they wanted proof of death, they should contact that office, and provide them with the address. You will need access to email accounts. There are a lot of memberships only through email that will need canceling before you shut down the accounts. Some you may need to use via the app on the individual's phone so don't cancel that account right away. To make it easier on executors, make sure you and your loved ones leave a list of all memberships, all accounts, all user names, passwords, and verification info. Canceling memberships, subscriptions, and catalogs can be a pain. For months, one clothing company kept sending their catalogs to my husband no matter how many times I called. Finally, someone with a heart canceled it. Also be sure to open an estate account at your bank in which to deposit funds and from which to pay creditors. You will need to obtain a tax id number from the IRS to use with it.
Joanie D
June 10, 2020
what about a debt that is in the roommates name of which they have expired I was told I got benefits since I live here and these bills are a ding to my credit report Not married to them just residing at the residence
Consumer 101
June 10, 2020
Excellent and informative information! Thank you for sharing this with us. best regards consumer 101
Augusto Don Orozco
June 10, 2020
Very informative
Freakyfredd69
July 19, 2021
Thanks i didn't wanna loose my family homes
VJ
June 10, 2021
My issue as the administrator of my parents estate is not with paying off their debt. Both my mom and dad passed away on the same day. They have some credit card debt and it’s been six months since we lost them and I’m just now seeing their bills. Am I responsible for late fees for the last six months? I’m assuming that whatever they owed at the time of there death is what the correct balance due should be. Anyone? Ex: if they owed $1000 on a credit card but have been getting charged $25 a month for six months, I don’t feel like it’s fair that the credit card get paid $150 in fees etc...
Barbara Hilton
June 19, 2021
My mother passed away in April. My nephew tried to get into her bank account without permission on the same day she passed away. His attempt was unsuccessful and the bank froze mom's account as they should have. His selfish act has cost us nothing but more pain. My mother was living with my daughter at the time of her death and my daughter had saved up several thousand dollars in anticipation of my mom's death to pay for her cremation. My daughter had legally obtained "Power of Attorney and Advance Directive for Health Care" but this is only good if the person is living. Mom's cemetery plot and marker were paid for years ago when my dad passed away. She did not have a Will and I don't know what to do. My son-in-law has paid out over $3,000 which includes cremation and funeral home costs and I can't pay him back because her account is frozen. What should I do in this situation? My heart is heavy with grief and my pride and integrity feel jeopardized. If anyone could offer advice I would be grateful. I do not have the money to pay a lawyer.
FTC Staff
July 19, 2021

En respuesta a por Barbara Hilton

You might be eligible to get free or low cost legal help, depending on your income and other circumstances. You could call the Bar Association in your state, city, or county and ask if they have information guides, or a list of lawyers that help people for free, or lower costs. You may want to ask the person who drew up the Power of Attorney and Advance Directive for Health Care if they can refer you to someone who can help you.