My brother called me today and told me that I had a phone message at his house. Weird because, well I have my own phone at home. He played it for me and it’s about a credit account but almost no details are given.
I called the number back and learned that it’s a debt collection agency. They were very nice and explained that it was relating to a past due credit card debt of about $350. When I explained that I didn’t have a credit card from them, he began checking my information. I gave them no info on the phone except my name, the year of my birth and my brother’s phone number that they already had.
They had my name right but nothing else was accurate. SSN was wrong. Year of birth was wrong. Address was one I’ve never heard about. He told me that it looks like they got the wrong name attached to the account and promised to take me out of their system.
Part of me still worries about it though. The wrong name is one thing but they had my brother’s phone number. That seems like too much of a coincidence in my book.
In short, can it damage my credit if they don’t have the right SSN? It’s such a small amount but should I worry about this coming back to bite me later?
Pull your reports from the three major credit bureaus through annualcreditreport.com . if there is anything on any of those reports you don’t recognize, dispute it with the bureau. They have 30 days to prove it’s a legitimate debt or remove it from your report.
I used to get dunning calls for someone who’s name was only vaguely the same as mine. The address was also different. I explained it twice, and each time it would stop for a few months, then it would start again. I finally had to get angry.
I found out that each time it was pulled back out of the files and re-assigned, they’d go to the phone book and look for any sort of weak match they could find. I demanded that they add a note to the file that I, specifically, was not the person they were looking for and that if they called this specific number again, I’d charge them with harassment. Seriously, the only match was, maybe, that I had the same initials, and maybe the same number of syllables. If someone was mumbling badly, you might get them confused. Written down - they should have been ashamed.
So I can see them coming up with your brother’s phone number if they went scrounging and he had your last name. Good advice to check your credit. But if it doesn’t show up, don’t worry.
I have an uncommon first name and last name which makes it even stranger.
It’s my half brother that got the call. He lives with his mother. She’s still got the same last name as I do even though she and my dad divorced years ago. Her first name also begins with the same letter and the way she’s listed in the phone book might make someone think she was me. Other than that, I can think of no other reason why they’d have that telephone number.
I’m going to pull the credit report now and see what it shows. Thanks for all the advice. I really hope I’m being overly paranoid about this.
Better late than never rule of advice: Never return a call and give them any personal information about you. Get them to (postal) mail you what they claim to have about you.
Make them work for their alleged debt collection. Document every communication you may have with them (in writing). Contact the three credit reporting agencies on your own, not just to check your current credit history, but also to place an immediate freeze on your credit history.
I didn’t give them anything on me except the year of my birth (and that was a slip up on my part), thank goodness.
I pulled credit reports last night from the link Otto suggested and this account did not show on any of them. The only ones there were ones that I knew about and recognized.
Be aware that there are some absolutely filthy companies who, in order to make money, make up data or severely distort it. Then they use agressive tactics intended to intimidate and collect from those who don’t owe the debt. Why? Because some people are stupid, some would rather pay than take a chance on damaging their credit record, and some don’t know what’s going on but give the collection agency the benefit of the doubt.
Ethics and accuracy are not on their to-do list. Making money is the only thing, at any cost.
Fight the bastards. With fire, if you can. Thanks goodness we have some halfway decent laws that you can stand behind.
Not being on your credit report (or disputing it and having it removed) does not necessarily remove an obligation to a debt. Just means that debt isn’t affecting your credit score.