Deceased relatives debt and me.

London_1980

My father passed away in 2003 after running up a shed load of debt. He and I shared the same name and address up until 2001 with the only difference in our identity being our age/date of birth. I've recently began getting letters from debt agencies for debt that I know I didn't run up. The difficult part of this is I now know for a fact that my father would take out credit cards, catalogs and mobile phones using my name and date of birth and would forge my signature. Back then I was only in my late teens/early twenties and wasn't aware of what was going on. I've recently had a letter from a debt collection agency which says 'I' owe nearly £2K. Should I contact them and ask them for more detail (ie, the date of birth of the person who took out this debt) or if it turns out he did take the credit out using my identity will I be liable for it (the only proof i have of what a calculating person he was is the fact that he murdered my mother just before he died/commit suicide. I know this sounds really extreme and reads like a novel but it's all 100% fact unfortunately.) I'm torn between ignoring it in the hope that it was my fathers true debt and can eventually provide them with a death certificate if I need to (BUT will I still be liable for it even though he died 14 years ago?) Or trying to sort it out if it is in my name because I don't want it to affect my credit rating. Please help!!

Danni-R

I thought debt died after 7 years? Double check and don't confirm anything to them.

sourcrates

Limitations act 1980.

Any consumer credit debt that is not paid or acknowledged in writing for any period of six years, England and Wales, (5 years in Scotland) will be statute barred.

But you need to send the statute barred letter to them available here :

https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/sampleletters/Pages/Time-has-run-out-to-recover-the-debt-%28sole-name%29.aspx

fatbelly

Or, if you like, send the hybrid letter (not my debt but statute barred anyway) in post #5 here

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2606811