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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    4

    Default Hounded by Debt Collectors After Identity Theft

    My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: Georgia

    I lost my wallet October, 2013. I reported my lost wallet to the police and I received a report. My wallet had my drivers license, green card, credit cards, HSA spending card and medical insurance cards. Within an hour I reported to credit card companies and bank, that my wallet was lost. The credit card company said someone was already using my credit card for small transit transactions.

    Within 6 weeks I started to get letters from debt collection agencies. It appeared that on November 8th and 9th 2013, some 30 transactions were made in department stores in the state of Alabama. So for each incident, I had to fill out paperwork notifying the 4 agencies that I was a victim of fraud. The fraudster, was using fake checks for a bank I had no affillation with and validating the checks with my drivers license. When I received a couple of check samples to review, I noticed that the name was incomplete, the signature was completely different (in writing style) and the address was spelt incorrectly. So the tiller failed to do a proper evaluation of the drivers license against the fake check. When I was sending documentation, I had to duplicate the work many occasions because the debt collection agencies kept losing my paperwork even though I had mailed the letters by recorded mail. Eventually, I purchased an online fax service.
    Once I sent all the documentation I asked for a response asking them to reply to my fraud affidavit, detailing what they are doing to notify the stores that I'm a victim of fraud. I got no response.
    In mid January, 2014 I got a notice from the agency indicating they had accepted my claim of fraud and no further action would be taken against me. This took a considerable amount of effort and personal expense to get to this point.
    As of April 23rd 2014, it appears this process is starting again. The same debt collection agency is chasing me for payment for transaction I didn't make with fake checks made out in my partial name using my old drivers license as proof for authenticity. I tried to explain to the agency that this is a repeat process from the time before but they insist I jump through the same hoops for each incident.
    The drivers license doesn't expire for 5 years and I just don't have the financial resources or personal time required to respond to every fake check or fraudulent activity taken place using my old DL. How can I stop this once and for all?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    16,474

    Default Re: Fraud Victim - Relentless Collector Inquires

    Quote Quoting rsanter75
    View Post
    My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: Georgia

    I lost my wallet October, 2013. I reported my lost wallet to the police and I received a report. My wallet had my drivers license, green card, credit cards, HSA spending card and medical insurance cards. Within an hour I reported to credit card companies and bank, that my wallet was lost. The credit card company said someone was already using my credit card for small transit transactions.

    Within 6 weeks I started to get letters from debt collection agencies. It appeared that on November 8th and 9th 2013, some 30 transactions were made in department stores in the state of Alabama. So for each incident, I had to fill out paperwork notifying the 4 agencies that I was a victim of fraud. The fraudster, was using fake checks for a bank I had no affillation with and validating the checks with my drivers license. When I received a couple of check samples to review, I noticed that the name was incomplete, the signature was completely different (in writing style) and the address was spelt incorrectly. So the tiller failed to do a proper evaluation of the drivers license against the fake check. When I was sending documentation, I had to duplicate the work many occasions because the debt collection agencies kept losing my paperwork even though I had mailed the letters by recorded mail. Eventually, I purchased an online fax service.
    Once I sent all the documentation I asked for a response asking them to reply to my fraud affidavit, detailing what they are doing to notify the stores that I'm a victim of fraud. I got no response.
    In mid January, 2014 I got a notice from the agency indicating they had accepted my claim of fraud and no further action would be taken against me. This took a considerable amount of effort and personal expense to get to this point.
    As of April 23rd 2014, it appears this process is starting again. The same debt collection agency is chasing me for payment for transaction I didn't make with fake checks made out in my partial name using my old drivers license as proof for authenticity. I tried to explain to the agency that this is a repeat process from the time before but they insist I jump through the same hoops for each incident.
    The drivers license doesn't expire for 5 years and I just don't have the financial resources or personal time required to respond to every fake check or fraudulent activity taken place using my old DL. How can I stop this once and for all?
    Did you report the identity theft to the police?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    4

    Default Re: Fraud Victim - Relentless Collector Inquires

    I reported I lost my wallet etc but not my identity has being stolen. I can do that but how does that help with debt collectors or am I missing something here?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    551

    Default Re: Fraud Victim - Relentless Collector Inquires

    Quote Quoting rsanter75
    View Post
    I reported I lost my wallet etc but not my identity has being stolen. I can do that but how does that help with debt collectors or am I missing something here?
    Forwarding a police report, and/or contact information of the officer who took the report is often sufficient evidence for the debt collectors.

    If you already dealt with this collector, is this the same account? Or a different account. If it is the same account then just point them towards your resolution, perhaps by forwarding them the letter they sent you. If it is different account then provide the collector with the information for the other account, it may be sufficient for you not to have to fill out more affidavits.

    Have you contacted the bank that the checks were issued by? If some one has an account open with your name, address, and social on it then you need to get that closed. The bank should put a hold on the account immediately if you report the fraud, they will however likely want a police report to close the account.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Fraud Victim - Relentless Collector Inquires

    When you are the victim of identity theft, you need to take immediate, proactive steps to protect your credit. Here's your homework.

    It's not clear why, if you are the victim of ongoing acts of fraud, you have chosen not to report any of those criminal acts to the police. When you choose to let claims of check fraud get stale, you reduce the chance that evidence will be recovered that will allow the police to identify the person who is passing bad checks under your name.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    4

    Default Re: Fraud Victim - Relentless Collector Inquires

    Mr Knowitall, thanks for the information. I already froze all of my credit reports. I did that immediately. I just didn't know I had to pass on my fraud paperwork to the police. It seems pretty difficult to get them to do anything in my neighborhood so when something like this is happening out of state it didn't cross my mind.
    I've made requests from Macy's and Border's for till CCTV footage but I'm told it takes too much effort and they don't have the time.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Hi Brownj12, I have already dealt with this collector and they have all the information you mention.
    The fake checks have no affiliation with the banks. The fraudster just creates fake account numbers and so the cycle continues.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    4

    Default Re: Fraud Victim - Relentless Collector Inquires

    Thanks to everyone for their advice. I called my local Police station that covers my new address to obtain a ID Theft report. The investigating officer took some details but asked where the crime took place, which was Alabama. He stopped in his tracks and said I need to contact the local Police station where the crime was committed. I called the Police station in Alabama that was near the department store where the ID theft took place, and the officer who responded told me that it was preposterous that I had to report the crime at the local police station for ID theft, as it could happen anywhere in the country. He suggested I call the Police station back and ask to speak to a Senior officer. So I called back and asked to speak to a senior officer and was told by the call center telephone agent that I would first need to speak with an investigating officer before I spoke with a senior officer. After waiting for a few hours I got no return call. I checked the police departments website and found the listing for the Assist Chiefs. I called the number and the phone picked up and was put back down again. There was another listing for other Officers so I tried another telephone number and the same thing happened.
    Thinking I was getting no joy from the station that covers my area, I called the station that I reported my lost wallet back in November 2013. The call center agent took my details and said an officer would call back. Again no call back.
    After reviewing some information from this website, I stumbled across an article that led me to the US Secret Service website, title 18. US government mandate for US Secret Service agents to investigate ID Theft. I called local ATL field office and left my number on a voice mail and I got no call back. The next day, I tried again and was put through another voice mail. Almost immediately an agent called back. The officer took all the details from my lost wallet report and the events that have happened until now. She said "I can not do much to help you as the mandate for US Secret Service involvement is 300k. However, I will contact the retailers, check the CCTV footage for a tiller image. If I get a tiller image I'll pass that along to the local Agency. I'll see if the CCTV footage can track the offender back to a vehicle to get a license plat number. I'll have a senior officer call you in regards to the trouble you are having to obtain a Police report as this is unusual." So this is the limited help she could offer. Talk about a breath of fresh air as I was starting to loose all hope. God help anyone who messes with the US Secret Services!

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