Posted on May 29, 2009 at 2:41 am Let's say i had to be reassigned to a different country due to the nature of my occupation. Is it possible for debt collectors to still continue following me? I can hardly keep up with my payments at this point and frankly, my job is more important than these bills. Please advise.

Posted on May 29, 2009 at 4:19 am Don't quote me on this, mybestfiend, but it may be possible that debt collectors will still continue contacting you even if you're out of the country. They can obtain information on you from your relatives. However they are not authorized to collect your debts from your family members, as that is against the law.Until such time that the debt is unpaid, your creditors will write it off, which will appear on your credit report for seven years.

Posted on May 29, 2009 at 4:41 am The collectors can definitely continue to call you and/or your relatives (for location information only), but the bigger question is "can collectors or credit card companies for that matter sue me if you are living overseas"?  Does anyone have info on this?

Posted on May 29, 2009 at 6:43 am In order for a credit card company to sue a debtor, they must properly serve them with a summons. If the person is overseas, this would essentially be impossible. However, I have heard that in some states in the US, debtors may be served via certified mail or even through public newspaper listings (Indiana?), so I don't know what this would imply for someone overseas who was served in this fashion. My guess is, if their permanent residence is no longer in the US, service through certified mail to an old address would constitute an improper service of the summons. Anyone have additional information on this subject?

Posted on May 29, 2009 at 8:33 am Good point about the summons, but you bring up the point about a proper service can even be putting the "Notice of Summons" in a county newspaper.  I just read on a legal aid website that in most states you can serve people in this manner but only for specific types of lawsuits and only after filing an Affadavit to do this. 

Posted on August 3, 2009 at 11:33 am Ok so I understand about whether or not debt can follow me abroad. But what about this- what if I have received a summons and need to leave the company and can't file an answer or show up at the court date? Am I totally screwed?

Posted on August 3, 2009 at 12:00 pm If you do not file an answer to the summons and complaint then a default judgment will be entered against you. Ultimately- this means the creditor wins and you owe the money. If you do nothing to resolve the debt, they will most likely try and execute said judgment. This could result in a wage garnishment, property lien or bank account levy.