This is completely off topic - but I have got to vent because I am on the verge of a breakdown!
Things have been going so well that I should have KNOWN - JUST KNOWN - that something was going to blow me out of the water.
A couple of weeks ago - I received a call on my cell phone - someone was trying to establish a credit card account and listed my cell phone number as their contact phone. Called the company - got that stopped.... all good right?
OH BUT NO!
Come home today - go through my mail - I have a letter from a debt collector - they want me to pay several hundred dollars to pay off a delinquent account - for an account THAT I HAVE NEVER HAD!
I call the company - they refuse to believe me - even though the information that they have on hand concerning me is incomplete. In the meantime - they said to get it to stop - I have to go the police and do an ID theft report and send them the information- in the meantime - they have already put all of this on my credit report - and apparently this is not the only account that is not actually mine that I am getting slammed for....... I went online to find out all the steps that need to be taken for identity theft and even though this is not my fault - it follows you around for years.
Wow ~ that's scary! Good idea getting online to find out what to do. Stay on top of it, there is an end. A co-worker had the same thing happen, but there was only one account. Try to keep on being pro-active instead of reactive!
I'm so sorry this happened to you! It happened to my parents close to 15 years ago. It's awful, makes you feel violated, and it's a pain to the rear to undo, but know that it will get better eventually. to you.
Once you get the police report -- make sure you send it with a letter accompanying it to the three major credit reporting agencies too. Good luck!!! My own sister did this to me a long time ago.
I would also recommend freezing your credit report, which you can do in many states if you file a police report. What this does is prevent anyone from opening a charge card or getting a loan with your SSN unless you have specifically unlocked your report for a specific period of time (3 days/a week/etc) with a code that is provided by the credit bureaus.
I don't really remember what exactly happened.. but something similar happened to my mom. I guess they have to have proof that you owe them money, and if they can't provide you proof within a certain amount of time they have to take it off of your credit report and aren't allowed to try and charge it for you again.
Look up the laws in your state regarding that kind of stuff... it tends to scare them off when you know what you're talking about.
I know it sounds crazy, but try your homeowner's insurance agent. They cover all kinds of weird stuff and they can probably help you with the process. My sister-in-law went through this and she "locked" her credit report, too. I think that's a good suggestion.
OT - Cannot Believe This Happened
