Identity Theft

Collections & Identity Theft

Despite great advancements in identity protection practices, identity theft affected over 143,000 Americans in 2019. Unfortunately, many people aren’t aware fraud has been committed until after the thief has run up a debt in their name. Usually a person finds out when a collection agency contacts them to request payment. Other times they might find out when a fraudulent item appears on their credit report.

WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU?

If you find out that you are a victim of identity theft and have someone trying to collect on an account that you did not open–don’t worry–there is a clear and safe path to getting that account removed! According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, if a creditor or collection agency is notified that the debt in question is being disputed, then collection efforts must stop “until the debt collector obtains verification of the debt or a copy of a judgment, or the name and address of the original creditor, and a copy of such verification or judgment, or name and address of the original creditor, is mailed to the consumer by the debt collector.” In order to do this you have to send a letter to the collection agency and the credit bureaus that reported the account that clearly states your name and contact information, the account number of the faulty collection and other pertinent details, and make it explicitly clear that this account was opened fraudulently as a result of identity theft. Providing a police report that states you have been a victim of identity theft is also a major bonus and goes a long way in proving your case.

 

Now all of this might seem overwhelming, but Fix Your Credit Consulting is here to help you! We have dealt with thousands of fraudulent collection cases for our clients and have been able to get them removed from their credit reports with our tried and true methods. If you’ve been a victim of identity theft and need collections removed from your account, call us today!