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How to stop someone from giving out my number as theirs?

a47danger — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:50:39 -0800

Suspect someone is giving our my number to their creditors. I've had the same phone number for 3 years and have gotten creditors asking for the same incorrect person for these 3 years. When old creditors stop calling, new ones start up.

I know how to get the creditors to stop. I document their information and file a cease and desist letter if they keep calling. Then I take it up with the state attorney if they do not.

My question is this. Is there anything that can be done about this person who, I suspect, continues to give her creditors my phone number? Are they doing anything illegal by continuing to give out an incorrect number? I know their phone number and address. Thanks!

Reporting debt-based harassment to attorney general

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:54:41 -0800

What's the best way to go about reporting a case of harassment from creditors for debts I don't owe? I'm in Pennsylvania, USA. For the past two years, I have been threatened and harassed by various creditors for debts (at least three or four different ones) that aren't mine. They are in the name of a person who happens to have the same name (except middle initial) as me, but these companies have a different SSN and birthdate associated with the person and their debts. The person has mailing addresses (P.O. boxes) in my state, but I have never lived anywhere near the city those P.O.B.s are in. I have checked my credit report, and, so far, these threats have not affected my credit.

After two years, the phone calls and letters haven't stopped coming. I write disputes citing the FDCPA, and, for a while, things are quiet. Then, after a few months, I am contacted about a new debt. When I talk to someone on the phone, I do explain the full situation and tell them not to call me again, and they say that they'll remove my phone number from their database. I hadn't gotten a call since January, but I got a new one yesterday.

Here's my question: I've been told that I should report this entire issue to my state attorney general. Once I realized what was happening, I kept records of calls, and I have all my paperwork (letters received and sent) pertaining to this case. I was looking at the PA attorney general's website, and I don't really know how to go about reporting this. There is a consumer complaint form, but it doesn't seem to really apply to my situation. I've been procrastinating this step for a while, but I do want this taken care of. Or, at the very least, I want a paper trail started indicating that I have contacted some sort of governmental body disputing this entire situation. How would you handle this? Would you fill out the form (linked above), or would you write a separate letter? Or.. is it not worth it (Please don't tell me this.. This is affecting my physical and mental health; I need it to end already!)? I'm sorry if this is a really obvious or dumb question.. I'm clueless about how to deal with this whole situation, and I don't have anyone who can advise me.

[Also, I have asked questions relating to this issue in the past, and the information, help, and support I have received have been invaluable. I followed a lot of the advice given, and I'd be in a far worse place if I hadn't asked. So, even if no one has anything to say on this particular topic, I am so appreciative of everyone who has answered my questions in the past.]

What was this weird phone call?

Mael Oui — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:16:08 -0800

Should I be concerned about the strange phone call I received today? Was it a creditor (looking for someone else) or a scam? For the past year and a half, I have been harrassed by creditors looking for a person who owes thousands of dollars. This person just happens to have my name (though with a different middle initial). I've learned enough about the person, including her mailing address(es) and the last four digits of her SSN. So far, this isn't a case of identity theft; the creditors seem to be looking to collect the money from anywhere. I have received phone calls from a ridiculous amount of creditors. Some of the phone calls have been pretty dubious (very shady, very unprofessional). Now, my sister, who lives in a different state, is receiving phone calls looking for this woman. In the past 9 months, I've started to receive letters from creditors. I've responded to all the correspondence, and I've disputed that I am the person who owns the debts. So far, none of the creditors have given me any problems after I dispute (either through the mail or over the phone).

QUESTION: Today I received a phone call in the afternoon. I should say that I loathe talking on the phone, and I'm TERRIBLE at it. I know that I should always demand the person to identify themselves, and I really don't know how to conduct myself well over the phone at all. The woman who called did not identify herself or the company she works for (if indeed she was calling on behalf of a company), and simply asked, 'Is 'Jane' there?' (say, my name is 'Jane Doe' for this particular question). I said 'yes.' There was a long pause, and then she asked, 'Oh, are you 'Jane'?' Once again, I said yes (I was assuming this was a creditor, and I was getting ready to defend myself against the inevitable accusations of owed money). The woman then said, 'Thank you.' [Long pause] So, I'm waiting for her to go on.. Finally, I said 'Hello?,' and that tone followed by the recording of the operator came on ('If you'd like to make a call, hang up..'). Um, so basically, she just called to see if 'Jane' was there. That's it. I realize that I screwed up by not demanding her to identify herself first. What, if anything, could this phone call have meant? Does it sound like a scam? Does it sound like a creditor 'verifying' some information about my telephone number? Should I be worried? I'd really like the phone calls to stop, and I hope that whatever this encounter was hasn't set me back even further in this struggle!

I should also mention that we don't have any kind of caller id, or anything that would determine a phone number.

How do I make phone calls looking for my ex of 15 years ago stop?

dejah420 — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 07:54:18 -0800

I got divorced almost 15 years ago. It was not a friendly divorce, and as such, I've not spoken to the ex since the night I found him in flagrante delicto. I've since remarried, had a kid, bought a house and have a stellar credit rating. Recently I've started to get collection agencies calling the house for the ex's debts. Other than dealing with each individual collection agency as they call at insane hours, is there any sort of general clearing house type place where I can say "I don't know where he is, I don't know what he's doing, and I'm certainly not going to pay his bills?" Is there anything I can do to make the phone calls stop? Do I have any legal recourse at all?

Is your name Michael Diamond?

Nathanial Hörnblowér — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:56:48 -0800

How do I get creditors to stop calling me by mistake? My phone number is listed under [N. Hörnblowér]. Someone named [Neal Hörnblowér] has creditors after him and somehow my phone number has been connected to his name. I'll get several messages a week from creditors looking for him. I've called a few of them back and told them there is no Neal Hornblower at this number, but they keep calling. Who can I contact to clear my phone number from this guy's name?

How can I get my predecessor's collection agencies to stop calling me?

General Malaise — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:16:10 -0800

My predecessor's creditors are calling me up to 10-15 times a day: What can I do about it? When I got this position at my company, I inherited a phone number from my predecessor. This person must have been bad, because their creditors won't accept that my predecessor no longer works here: They call about 10-20 times a day!

There are a couple of voices I can make out that call numerous times a day themselves. Each time I tell them that the person there is nobody here by that name, please take my office number off your calling list. But they never do. And many of them seem to not speak English very well, so it's hard to communicate that no, I cannot transfer you to them, because that person does not work here.

Is there any action I can take to keep them from calling me, as I have no option but answer the phone every time and argue with them? I've read the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, but it doesn't seem to speak to this practice specifically.

(I've asked our help desk: my number can't be changed, because over 500 of our contacts have it, as it's a permanent number for this position.)

I can't believe I'm writing a follow-up question!

Anonymous — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 09:35:52 -0800

Now what? I disputed a debt as a case of mistaken identity, but I'm still hearing from the credit agency! I can't believe I'm writing a follow-up question!

A while back I asked about a threatening letter I had received from a creditor (J.A. Cambece) about a $5,000+ credit card debt in my name. Once again, I have no credit card from Citibank and I do not owe anyone anything. I got some excellent advice from the HiveMind, which I followed. I put fraud alerts on all three credit accounts, I ordered three credit reports, and I sent a certified letter from this site.

After I posted here (and before I had mailed my dispute or received my credit report), I got a phone call from Cambece. Now, that first threatening letter was the first bit of correspondence I ever received pertaining to this account. This was the first (and, to date, last) phone call I received from them. The man I spoke to said that he was calling to verify if I was the owner of the debt. I emphatically said I wasn't, and he told me the last four digits of the social security number associated with the account. They didn't match mine! I was so excited and thought the rest of this would be a piece of cake.

I sent out the dispute letter. I said that I was disputing the account and its charges. I said that I spoke to someone from their office and the person told me those four digits from the SSN and that they didn't match. I did not give the last four digits of my SSN. I was told not to give any personal information to them. I went on to say that, if there was still a question of whether I owe the debt, I wanted certain information about the account (name, SSN, contact info, date it was opened - really any information available). The form letter that I chose heavily quoted the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and possibly some other things I didn't understand.

After I sent it out, I got my credit reports. They're clean! They have my single credit card, which is in very good standing, and not one mention of a Citibank card (which is the one I was accused of owing money on). Nothing even slightly suspicious! So, it doesn't seem like identity theft is actually an issue here. And, once again, I don't owe this money. I'm not trying to get out of a debt that is mine. I don't have this card, I have no account with Citibank, my SSN doesn't match the one associated with the account, and it doesn't appear on my credit report. According to How Many Of Me, there are 88 people in the US with my name. There's a good chance that at least a fraction of the others got this threatening letter, right?

Basically, I thought the SSN not matching bit would have them instantly cross me of their list of potential owners of the debt, but I was wrong. Today I got another letter, also from Cambece. It didn't in any way address the fact that I had disputed the debt OR that I mentioned the SSN issue and suggested mistaken identity. It only relates to the bit where I asked for more information. The only thing different about this letter is that it was actually signed. It says (bolding is my own):

RE: Original Creditor, Citibank - Our Client, CFG

This firm represents the above named CFG. Our client is the valid assignee of Citibank contractual rights originating from the credit card agreement between you and Citibank. This firm received your request to provide you with verification of the above - referenced debt. We conveyed your request to our client and upon our receipt of the verification documents the same shall be forwarded to your attention. Often the information you requested is in storage and on microfilm or microfiche. It may take some time before the information you requested is located and forwarded to your attention. There is no deadline for the production of these documents.

Okay, I bolded the first bit because there never WAS an agreement between the creditor and me! Why was the dispute not referenced in this letter? Second, interesting that they should define that there's no deadline for them, even though they imposed a 30-day deadline on the last response, and probably will impose deadlines for me on any future correspondence. I recall, in my last post about this, that I asked how I could prove my innocence, and someone said that they had to prove my guilt (not the other way round). It's starting to seem like they've skipped that step!

What does this letter mean?! What do I do next?! What do I do if they keep contacting me like this!? How do I get this fixed?? Preferably, I would like to deal with Citibank personally. I don't have any plans to give any more personal information to the Cambece office. I have read a lot about them online (nothing favorable.. well, unless you count their own sites).

Thank you for any advice (the first post has the entire backstory)! I really am at a loss.

Give me back my identity!

Anonymous — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 07:08:12 -0800

Identity Theft Filter: How do I convince debt collectors of my innocence concerning an outstanding debt in my name (that isn't mine)? On Friday, I received a letter from a Boston-based attorney's office about an outstanding debt of over $5,000 on a Citibank credit card. The problem is that I don't have a Citibank credit card. The letter says that I must respond within 30 days to dispute the debt. If I don't contact them within that time, I would be, in a sense, accepting responsibility.

A bit of my financial history: I'm unemployed and live with my mother. I have a joint credit card with her (I'm the secondary name on it), and I don't really have any need or desire for it, so it's just for emergencies. I haven't charged anything.. probably in about a year, and we've never been a family that uses credit cards recklessly. I have never had any debts, and, in the rare case that something is charged, the balance is always paid off in full. No carried balances, no debt. Never. And that joint credit card is the only one I've ever had or applied for. Any credit card offers received in the mail are shredded to infinitismal bits. My credit report was clean as of May 11, 2007.

I haven't contacted the credit agencies yet (though I will in the next few days) because I already requested my free credit report this year. In May, I started receiving phone calls from a debt collection agency about a J.C. Penney credit card with an outstanding balance, and I assumed that my identity had been stolen. Many of the calls were recordings, which seemed a little fishy. Before I actually was able to speak to a real person at the debt collection agency, I ordered my credit reports and, luckily, they were correct and there was nothing remotely suspicious on them. When I finally was able to speak to a person at the agency, I found out that the person who held the account that was in debt had the same name as me (but with a different initial), as well as a different social security number, birth date, and mailing address. In short, it was determined that they just had the wrong telephone number for the woman, and I've never heard about this situation again. So, the only problem is that it's only been a few months since I've ordered my free credit reports. I thought I had read that if you suspect a theft, you can request a free copy (regardless of when you received your last copy), but I also read that getting your credit report via the website would be easy, too, so I'm guessing that neither are true.

Okay, so, I plan on checking my credit reports early next week, but I'll be contacting this law office (over the phone) before that. I have to follow up in writing, so I would get the credit reports before I send a letter. So, as I said, I don't have this credit card, and I've never had any sort of account with Citibank. I've also never received any correspondence (from Visa/Amex/MC, Citibank, or store, if this was issued by a store) indicating that there is an account in my name. I never received a card, bills, late payment notices, or any other correspondence. Why this sole correspondence now?

I have articles on what one is supposed to do at the sign of suspected identity theft, but before I do any of those things, I'm going to call the law office to dispute the debt. I am REALLY bad at phone communication and feel nauseous about the thought, so I want to plan exactly what I'm going to say in my defense and the questions I'm going to ask before I seek further action. There's a lot of information I'm going to demand - the full name the account is under, any full mailing addresses associated with the account, a social security number, the date the account was opened. What else should I ask that I haven't thought of? How do I dispute the debt? Based on what I've divulged here, is there anything I can say to prove that this is identity theft or mistaken identity? What should I emphasize to make a good case over the phone and, in subsequent written correspondence? Is there anything that I've said that I shouldn't mention.. that might even be detrimental to my case? I was told by a family member not to mention the J.C. Penney situation as it doesn't appear to be linked (or identity theft). Finally, how bad does this whole situation sound? Based on your past experiences or anything you know or have read, how difficult to rectify, and potentially damaging, does this sound? Do you have any advice??

Sorry for the length! I wanted to be complete, and I hope that I did provide all important information. I'm posting this now since I'll have to act quickish, but I won't be able to check responses until evenings. Also, if you should want to email me try my
Contactify, and, I'm in a right state, so any help/advice will be appreciated.

Paralegal complaint: Who gets it?

onhazier — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 17:36:23 -0800

I believe a paralegal I spoke with this afternoon was unethical and out of line. Where do I go to file a complaint against this person's actions? This morning the paralegal called and left a message saying he needed to get in contact with Person A "who may or may not be related to you." Person A, it turns out, is related but lives about 600 miles away. The paralegal was calling in regards to a case involving Person A and wanted us to "urge him to call" the paralegal. Turns out Person A has a creditor filing suit against him and the paralegal handling the case started placing calls. He spoke with Person A's wife, but wouldn't address the situation and then called and left the message at my house. (No, we're not connected to the suit in any way.) When I called the lawyer's office back, the paralegal proceeded to rattle off part of Person A's SSN, phone and address when I asked to confirm if we were talking about the same person.

I was very surprised. First, why would he be calling us? Just because we have the same last name and it is unusual, thus easier to find? Second, should he be giving out so much information? If he should not have called or revealed so much over the phone, who do I contact to file complaint against this guy? I have his name and contact info so I'll be able to identify the specific firm employing him.