Identity theft by now deceased father
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About 6 month ago I’ve received a call from a collection agency, demanding to pay an account that I have with them (little less than $1,000). Since I never owed money to anyone – it seemed suspicious.
So I pulled my 3 major credit reports and discovered multiple delinquent accounts in my name – all are defaulted credit card accounts. Needless to say that I never opened them myself. In fact, I was around 16 years old when they were opened.
Further investigation concluded that all of them were open in my name by my father, which has passed away 2 years ago.
It took me about 3 months to file the police report, which I finally faxed over to that collection company. That was 3 months ago, and nothing happened since. Yesterday I called them and they said they didn’t receive anything from me.
What should I do to resolve this issue?
Start by filing a formal dispute with the credit bureaus
The first thing you need to do is send a written dispute letter to each of the 3 major credit bureaus with a copy of that police report. Indicate the accounts are due to identity theft. Include a copy of your driver’s license, social security card, and birth certificate showing you were a minor when the accounts were open (See this link for details).
File your dispute in writing rather than on-line. You want to create a paper trail. Send your dispute by certified mail, return receipt requested.
Then send a certified, return receipt letter to each creditor indicating the ID theft. Include a copy of the police report.
Clearing up identity theft can be a problem. The default accounts mat be sold to new collection agencies, and you may need to repeat the process again. Keep copies of all correspondence, and demand answers in writing.
You may also file a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Call toll-free 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338), TDD: 202-326-2502, or visit http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en.
Another thing you may want to check is the Statue of Limitations. If a new collection agency calls, you can have the upper hand if the these old accounts are time barred in your state (this means they are too old anyways to seek legal action to collect. You can check your state’s SOL here: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/state-stat…
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