Question: I have a lot of bad items on my credit report, due to ID theft. It took me a long time to discover it (“my” address had been switched to other addresses), so some accounts got sold to collection agencies.
So I did what I assumed was the right thing: told the credit reporting agencies, wrote each creditor or agency, explaining what happened, even giving them the identity of the thief. With each letter I included a copy of the police report, photocopy of my driver’s license, affidavit of fraud. I also asked, specifically and in bold print, for documents for each account (applications, etc.) — which I am entitled to by law — so I can match up fake addresses with credit cards for the postal authority’s investigation. Naively, I thought that would do it.
Nope. After the credit agencies “investigated” (which I assume means no more than asking each reporting company to “verify” the debt), some items were removed, some were not. (“Investigate,” my ass.) And some of the creditors and collection agencies insist the charges are valid. Also, there’s this game being played where creditors tell me accounts have been sold, so it’s not their problem anymore, while the collection agencies tell me that I need to deal with the original creditors. (Reminds me of a game of keepaway.) So far, NOT ONE has given me the documentation I asked for. And they lie like hell, claiming, for example that they didn’t get all that I sent them.
This makes me extremely angry, because I didn’t open a single damn one of these accounts, and each of the places KNOWS they can’t prove it’s my debt. There has got to be some way, short of hiring a lawyer, of clubbing these places into doing the right thing. (The FTC won’t even touch a club, let alone pick one up.)
Any ideas? I’m open to any suggestions, including, at this point, dirty tricks.
Answer: Sue each one of them in small claims court demanding the necessary action or monetary damages if they do not comply. If the evidence you claim you have is legit, that might work. That last wouldnt be a great idea. Presumably some of those who refuse to wipe the turds from your credit record are assuming that you chose to take advantage of the identity theft to slither out from under debts that YOU personally incurred, and any attempt at dirty tricks would likely just confirm them in that belief.
Not saying you are attempting to do that, but its clear that some of those that wont wipe your record consider that you may be doing that.
there’s a federal statute whereby you can sue those companies that have put wrong information on your credit report and refuse to take it off even after you’ve shown them that it’s false. I believe you can get up to $30,000 in punitives plus actual damages for each one. However, you’d be filing a federal lawsuit so you’d probably need a lawyer unless you really know what you’re doing.
Related posts:
- Arbitration is your right to get out of debt
- Consumer Credit Counseling
- Fair Credit Billing Act question
- Suspended Credit Card: Effect on credit?
- can I get bad credit for owing dr. bill?
- Need info on VA, Fed home loan mort corp.
- Does credit card balance affect credit ratings?
- Considering CCCS – Input please..
- Need info on VA, Fed home loan mort corp.
- I have seen such programs
- Debt Counseling or Not?
- Need Credit Card Advice