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The statute of limitations (SOL) is simply a defense available to you should the creditor sue you on the debt. Be aware that under the laws of at least some states the SOL does get extended for the time you are living outside the state. So depending on the facts here it may be that the SOL is still open, e.g. if you were in Peru from 2004 until 2 years ago.

Because the SOL is irrelevant outside a lawsuit, a creditor may refuse to provide you services until you pay a debt you owe to the creditor even if the SOL has expired. So if you want the service from the creditor, you have to pay up. Your other choice is to find some other company to provide the service you want.




You live in Utah, so it is Utah law on debt collection that would apply, not California. It does not matter where the creditor is based; it matters where the debtor is located. It appears that Utah does not have its own law regulating debt collection that is analogous to the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) or the California version of the FDCPA. That means that if this company is indeed the original creditor and the FDCPA does not apply then there isn't any particular restriction on what the creditor may do to collect the debt.
It seems that the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act offers no help because Fiserv is, at least allegedly, the initial creditor. Accordingly, I am looking into California law for remedies that may make this alleged debt go away. Does anyone have any insight?