[kdogg]

My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: Michigan

I'm not even sure where to start. This is more about credit reports then the collection itself but who knows what might hit me out of no where one day.

Anyway I'm unhappy with my current cellphone company and I really want to get something new so I decided to look at the new 3G Apple iPhone.

I ran a credit check threw apple.com which says I was approved. I got an email from them saying they had run a credit report etc and that I was able to check my credit at such and such a site for free so I thought I would do it just for laughs and giggles.

So I sign up, run a credit report and I end up on some Equifax page. Ok cool so I'm now looking over my free credit report and BOOM I have 5 negative things on my credit.

One of them, I admit is mine. I notice it but four of them are absolutely not mine.

Problem is, I recognize them as someone elses, my mothers.

About 3 years ago my mother fell ill and I took over here credit card payments for her, unofficially. I was paying the monthly payments using my bank account etc. I was also given permission to use said credit cards although I rarely did.

For about a year I paid them down for her while she was in a nursing home but then I lost my job and I was no longer able to make payments for her.

Some how they have put her negative accounts on MY credit history. I never authorized this, I never signed anything agreeing to be responsible for this, I'm not attached to her accounts other then I made monthly payments and a few times used the cards for point of sale transactions.

I spoke to my mother and she never told them I was in any way responsible for these accounts either.

I've NEVER gotten ANYTHING in the mail addressed to me about these accounts either.

My credit report indicates one of these is in collections and the other three are charged off. I'm not sure what to do. How can they do this? These are not my credit cards.

[LawResearcherMissy]

Dispute them with the credit reporting agencies - all three of them.

There is a facility for doing this online. Be sure to note that the accounts in question are not yours.

These mistakes are shockingly common, and usually quickly resolved.