Debt recovery request from 1995

[hc1guy]

Long time lurker and looking for advice. I received a letter today from a debt recovery company chasing me for a student credit card debt from 1995 for £400. I called them and asked about it as I thought all my student debts were paid off a long time ago but was told the debt was sold to another company in 2002 and they had been trying to contact me at a previous address but sent this request to an incorrect one on my street. If I challenge or ignore this request can they get a CCJ or put it on my credit rating? Normally I would pay this but the attitude of the chap on the phone was very threatening telling me that I can't get a mortgage now etc etc. This is all happening in Scotland if the law is different.

[I Love Lamp]

Providing you have made no payments or received any correspondence in 6 years, then this debt can be written off.

see

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/...

and

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/fa...

[V8mate]

Write back to them denying any knowledge of, or liability for, the debt and that you will enter into no further dialogue on the matter.

That's all you need to do.

[hc1guy]

So will this appear on my current credit rating?

[V8mate]

There is nothing to appear. As Lamp says, the debt has expired. They are relying on you to admit that it's yours.

[hc1guy]

Thanks guys, I knew PH would come up with an answer.

Edited by hc1guy on Monday 18th October 17:10

[V8mate]

For completeness, had this been a mortgage, the term would have been twelve rather than six years.

[James P]

If they persist, you should write to them denying that the debt is yours and challenging them to produce evidence of the debt. I do not know of a single instance where evidence has been provided.