[CDalrym]

I need some help.

It's somewhat of a long and unique story but do not know where else to turn.

I recently started receiving my brother's mail as he has moved out of the country temporarily. He has had a problem, that is now my problem for the last 7 years and has been unable to resolve it.

The credit reporting agencies have linkes some unknown women to my brother's address, which is now my address, and have been sending collection letters and a repo man to my home at 4 am. I notified the agencies that I have no idea who this person is and they don't live here. They reply, sorry there is nothing we can do because our software wont' recognize the error and it will happen no matter what as they treat me like crap.

I personally don't find a software problem on their part an excuse to terrorize my family at 4 am a good excuse and I cannot find a lawyer to sue them and make it stop.

It's very clear this person has no relation to my brother or myself. The credit reporting agencies have been notified numerous times and refuse to fix the error as well.

Can I get legal representation to sue the collection agencies and credit reporting agencies to make them fix their mistake?

Thanks.

[Mr. Knowitall]

Have you obtained your own credit report? I am curious as to whether this problem is an incorrect association on your credit report, or if this error exists on the mystery person's credit report but not on your own.

[CDalrym]

Have you obtained your own credit report? I am curious as to whether this problem is an incorrect association on your credit report, or if this error exists on the mystery person's credit report but not on your own.

There are no problems with the credit report. My brother, the person with the original problem, believes that the bad debtor, has been linked to him as his spouse. There are no credit report problems for anyone.

Whenever my brother changes his address (his address now being mine) the credit reporting agencies do as well and that changes the bad debtors address to the same one. That spurs a whole new round of repo men and collection agency letters.

Everyone has been notified we have no relation to this person but they refuse to fix their error. I'm sick of writing letters and waiting for the inevitable 4 am wake up call from a repo man so it seems as if the only recourse I have it to sue somebody to make them fix it.

What can I do???

Thank you very much.

[aaron]

The question is how this person is associated with you. Order your credit reports from the major bureaus. Have your brother order his. (Get free copies at AnnualCreditReport.com.) Find out if this person is somehow identified on your credit report, his credit report, or both.

[BOR]

There are no problems with the credit report. My brother, the person with the original problem, believes that the bad debtor, has been linked to him as his spouse. There are no credit report problems for anyone.

Whenever my brother changes his address (his address now being mine) the credit reporting agencies do as well and that changes the bad debtors address to the same one. That spurs a whole new round of repo men and collection agency letters.

Everyone has been notified we have no relation to this person but they refuse to fix their error. I'm sick of writing letters and waiting for the inevitable 4 am wake up call from a repo man so it seems as if the only recourse I have it to sue somebody to make them fix it.

What can I do???

Thank you very much.

You have certain rights under the Fair debt collection practices act, research that.

Make it clear to the collection agency, the debtor is NOT there and has no affiliation with you/your address. IF they continue, tell them it is possible you may seek a court Injunction to halt the harassment and they may end up paying your legal fees.

[CDalrym]

The question is how this person is associated with you. Order your credit reports from the major bureaus. Have your brother order his. (Get free copies at AnnualCreditReport.com.) Find out if this person is somehow identified on your credit report, his credit report, or both.

There is nothing on either of our credit reports that link us with this women. It's somehow tied to my brother's name and his address. Nobody can explain why.

I have called the collection agencies and they just laugh, they don't care. They all just say sorry, our system doesn't recognize it and there is nothing we can do.

I sent a cease and desist already to Northland and they never responded. Funny thing is that I have already spoken to them and they said they would fix it and they did not so I received another letter in the mail from them. I called them again and they said it's cheaper to bother me with the mail than to update their system.

I'd like to sue them and make people accountable for their misdeeds the same way they harrass debtors.

I"ve contacted lawyers and they all say they don't handle that type of case so I have nowhere to go except I guess to take matters into my own hands with them but I'd prefer not to go that route.

[Mr. Knowitall]

If there is no incorrect information associated with your credit report, there is nothing in your credit report for the CRA's to correct. You don't have a cause of action against a credit agency for providing correct information in your credit report. You need to find the source of the problem.

Meanwhile, you may want to try this: Go to the post office and get a "Change of Address" form. Fill it out with this person's name. For the new address, write something along the lines of "Not At This Address, Forwarding Address Unknown", and sign your own name and write on the form "Form filled in by current resident of the house, (your name), agent for the above'". The USPS will keep that information in its system for 18 months, and should return most of the mail. (I suppose they should return it all, but they may miss some.)