In a time when more people are living with debt, more people are also dying with it. In fact, one Twin Cities company bases its entire business on collecting debt from the dead.

It used to be that debts, if nothing else, stopped when you died. But now companies like Golden Valley-based DCM have changed that.

DCM is in the business of collecting money from the deceased by trying to get their relatives to pay up.

"I think what's happening here is morally reprehensible and legally questionable," said attorney Sam Glover, who specialized in representing people sued by collection agencies.

He said calling the relative of someone who died could be harassment.

"They're vulnerable, they're grieving. They don't want to deal with it," Glover told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

In most cases, an individual’s debt goes away when they die. The exception is when his or her estate is willed to someone else. The state said that doesn't mean a collection agency can't try.

"You can certainly ask. There's no prohibition in Minnesota for calling and asking the debt to be taken care of and a lot of these family members want to do it," said Bill Walsh with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Others don't. DCM has been sued twice in federal court in other states. A letter used as evidence in one of those cases sums up how they work—it first expresses condolences, then asks for $1,400.

"We have not seen a rash of complaints in this area," Walsh said.

However, Glover argues that’s probably because DCM workers are trained to be compassionate. They’re website even touts their sensitivity training.

"They're sort of screwing people with a smile, so people don't think to complain or think to call a lawyer," Glover said.

The Commerce Department says it's illegal for debt collectors to tell relatives they are legally obligated to pay the debt of a dead relative. You can contact the Minnesota Attorney General's Office to file a complaint by calling (651) 296-3353.