Please ladies.. I am going to SCREAM!!!

I am so completely at my wits end right now!!!!!!

Long story short.. someone else has been using my social security number for the last 6 years and I've been trying to clear it up since 2004...

I got another collection's notice today and have been on the phone with one person or another since 8 am. ....

Turns out.. someone did a little background and the person showing up on my credit reports has only one digit difference in ss number.......

Meanwhile... no one will help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I am ready to cry at this point.. I am so upset and stressed out over this thing it needs to end!!!!!

 

Honey, I know what it is like to have collectors call and YOU are the culprit. Very frustrating...I can only imagine how much more frustrating it is when you are NOT the culprit.

Have you called any lawyers? So many specialize in this now.

 

So sorry that you're dealing with this. I can only imagine how frustrating that is. I hope you find someone who'll help you get it all sorted out.

 

I have no idea where to even start...

Just hung up with someone from transunion.. they cannot help either.. and the ss admin sent me to them... grrr

 

I know people get paid to answer phones.. I only get computers for some reason..

 

thank you ladies..

 

No one will help me without a "current' credit report.. meanwhile I cannot access my own credit report because they have my social under someone else's name.. I am just so aggravated right now!!!!!

 

You can go online and file a dispute against your credit report. I will not remove it immediately, but will leave an explanantion on your credit report about what is going on while it's being investigated. We had to do this with dh, because a student loan that we were paying for every month showed up as defaulted (It had never been in default.). We were also told that you have to file this report with ALL THREE credit bureaus, not just one - Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. HTH!

 

If you have a physical copy of your social security car (Or something with your name and that number on the same sheet of paper) take that down to your local Social Security Office (Look in blue pages of your local phone book.)

Paycheck stubs???
Rental agreements???
Doctor bills????

You will have to start there to get the ball rolling. Phones are too easy to get hung up on.

This is the first step.
Prove you are who you are.
In person.
Annoy them.
This is your life, not a small consumer dispute.
The truth is, you will have to work to prove that you own that number.

And if you try to contact a local reporter, start your email or letter with something like "Social Security Claims I am invisible, dead, someone else"... etc... Anything that could be considered a great tag line.. (Take it from me, reporters can be lazy... )

Once that is covered....

Anyone who puts information on your credit report has to PROVE you owe the debt. A lawyer can tell you how to directly go about this, but you need to "Require proof of debt" from these people.

For example; (I am a constant victim of id theft due to me jeneric name)

I had an apartment community on my credit report for "Abandonment of apartment". Thing was, I was only 20 years old at the time, and they claimed this happened when I was 15..... do the math..... So they had to remove it. (Phone call to them directly with a threat of action, if they do not remove the erroneous information within 30 days...)

Again, when I was 29, an out of state apartment community pulled the same thing.... I called them directly (Information gathered from my credit report) and told them to send me a copy of this supposed lease. They suddenly could not find a record of me renting from them, and agreed to remove it from my credit report.

Again, a car was stolen, police show up at my house with just a first name, last name and middle initial.... Thankfully (I was 14 at the time) my middle name was not the same as on the warrant.... sheeesh!


The point is.....
You CAN do something.....

1. Get a copy of all three of your credit reports RIGHT NOW....
Read the Governments info on getting free copies of your credit report....
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/freereports.shtm

Ask that a "fraud alert" be placed on your file. Also request that no new lines of credit be granted without first seeking your approval. You'll be asked to record the incident(s) in writing, and include copies of any documents (e.g., a police report, correspondence with your bank or other creditors) to be used as evidence. Here's contact information for each major credit bureau:

Equifax (http://www.equifax.com/), P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241; report fraud by calling (800) 525-6285

Experian (formerly TRW, http://www.experian.com/), P.O. Box 1017, Allen, TX 75013; report fraud by calling (800) 301-7195

TransUnion (http://www.transunion.com/), Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634; report fraud by calling (800) 680-7289

2. Highlight EVERYTHING that is incorrect.
Close accounts that have been fraudulently accessed or opened. To do so, contact the security departments of the appropriate creditors or financial institutions. If you open any new accounts, put passwords on them (and don't use the obvious ones like your mother's maiden name, your Social Security number, or the first six digits of your deceased great aunt-in-law's phone number).

3. Make notes where you can prove this is not you. (For example an apartment community claims you owe them back rent, but how could you have lived there if the federal government (IRS) says you were working daily three states over?) This actually works.

File a report with local police, or the police where the identity theft took place. Be sure to get a copy of the report (or report number) in case the bank, credit card company, or others need proof of the crime.

The FTC provides an ID Theft Affidavit that can help you organize and accurately record your complaint. All three major credit bureaus and most of the large lenders accept this form as notice from you. You can also call the ID Theft Clearinghouse toll-free at (877) ID-THEFT (438-4338) to report the theft. For more information on how to deal with credit-related ID theft, check out the ID Theft website. If the crime involves your Social Security number, call (800) 269-0271 or visit the Social Security Administration's website.

4. Call these people directly and require they send you proof of debt. If they cannot prove it, thank them for their time, and speak of how you can understand how information can get messed up..((Helps to be friendly))..... then..... require them to remove this from your credit report within 30 days or face court charges.

5. Line up all the items that you either A> cannot get into contact with or B. Cannot directly prove innocence...

6. Contact local TV stations "Consumer Action" reporter. Expect no answer, reply and or a HUGE WAIT, that may never end.....

meanwhile/////

7. Hire a lawyer. If you win your case, the judge will order those companies to cover your court costs. (Usually)

8. Know that others are praying for you.


9. Read these two articles....

Where to go to tattle on the bad guys if you fall victim to ID theft.
http://www.fool.com/ccc/check/check06.htm

Don't be surprised if your credit report contains errors. Here's how to catch and fix the most common credit report mistakes. http://www.fool.com/ccc/check/check05.htm

 

Thank you sixcloar.. I actually went through all of that in 2004... apparently now the things are off of my credit report.. I was finally able to access them online.

There is still the issue of someone putting in my social by mistake.. hopefully it won't come up again.. and I have to fax my id/ ss card to yet another collector explaining that I am in fact myself and not an alias of someone else.. but I feel much MUCH better now seeing only my information on my own credit report for the first time in awhile..

Crisis is over.. ladies.. Thank you for letting me rant..

 

Thank you so much Jennifer.. I could have really used that in 04... Apparently it is off of my report and this new thing is on its way to my report if I don't fax in my id and all that to them asap... I had misunderstood from this morning thinking that these things were still all on my report.. no thanks to several very confused customer service reps.. but alas.. it's a jaybird report once more..

What I don't know how to handle is letting that person know that they are (mistakenly?) using my social to set up services in NJ. The SS admin told me to call them directly (number disconnected.. no luck with reverse phone/ address).. or to contact the credit bureaus.. The credit bureaus told me they can't do anything because there is nothing "incorrect" on my credit report (nice time for them to start keeping score.. mwaa haa haa).. So.. back to square not quite one..

I just hope the lady figured it out.. or that it was simply an accident that racked up over $1200 in phone bills..

Another thing that's bothering me (again).. since these bills were being racked up since 2000, the collections agency wants "proof of address" for all of those years.. and I moved several times.. and I do not have my old bills.. I am a homeowner now and only have the things relevant to this address... But I will be sending them a duplicate of what the credit bureaus accepted and hopefully that is good enough.

Thank you again for posting such an informative post.

 

crisis is over!!!! really? Wow! I am so happy for you!

 

Put a "Fraud Alert" on your three credit reports. NO ONE will be able to open new accounts with out your password. Add a note that the "WHY" for the Fraud Alert, is because of someone esle using the same number. When this person tries to use it again, they will be refused credit, because they will not know your password, and they will contact the credit agencies and be told that THEY have to prove that they are legally allowed to use that number.... (In other words, they will have to stop using that number, unless by some faint chance they happened to have legitimately been sent an identical number as you.... but if this happens a dispute can be filed with the social security administration for review.)

Why deal with them at all? Do NOT send them ANY information until THEY prove you owe the money. (They will simply take the information you give them and edit what they have for you... making THEIR case look more legit. Make THEM do the work.) And again, if they cannot prove you owe the amounts within 30 days require them to remove it from your reports and you go about your business.... Also, keep in mind that "FACTS" mean nothing to collection agencies.. if they can get SOMEONE to pay a bill, they'll take it. Do NOT give them information. ESPECIALLY if you KNOW it is not your debt. PLEASE!

You are welcome. This is something (If you can't tell) very close to my heart.

 

SOmeone went through my husband's best friends trash a few years ago and stole his identity. He didn't find out about it until $20K worth of debt was racked up in his name. It took him forever to get it straight.

The worst that has ever happened to us was one time dh and I went out to eat and we went to pay with a credit card and it would not go through. We tried again and it wouldn't work. This was a card we pay off monthly so there is never an outstanding balance. We found out later that at the exact same time the restraunt was running our card the card number was being used for purchasing appliances at a store in Dallas! How that happened I do not know but it all got worked out.

I'm glad you got it all settled. What a pain!

 

If I could unhook from the grid, I would be the FIRST in line!

 

Not if I beat you there first!

 

Right there with ya!!!

 

What exactly do I tell them?

Editing to say nevermind.. I found it in your last post.. I have had no sleep.. sorry!

 

OMGoodness!!

 

Now I just gotta figure out how to stick it to tha man! lol