phantom debt
Nonexistent financial claim
Phantom debt is a fabricated or illegitimate debt that collectors attempt to extract payment for, though the debtor never actually owed the money.
The debt may be entirely invented, already paid off, past the statute of limitations, or belong to someone else: Scammers called demanding payment on phantom debt I'd never incurred.
The term also applies to debts that exist only on paper due to clerical errors or identity theft.
- imaginaryExisting only in thought
- harassmentAggressive, unwanted targeting
- scamDishonest money-making scheme
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
- scare tacticsMethods using alarm to influence
identity theft · personal information · credit report · credit score · phishing · fraudulent claims · illusory · fake invoices · emotional manipulation · dispute resolution · trauma recovery · predatory lending · stress · ghost · legal recourse · consumer protection laws · anxiety · extortion
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