I got a letter from Investers retrievables I have never heard of. I called to find out what it was. They said i owed a First usa which became Bank one which became Chase 6800 but they would take 3800. I have never had any of those cards. I pull my credit every 6 months and I have never seen this. The collection said they were trying to get a hold of me since 9/2004 and that I had this card since 9/2001. The only card I ever had was a providian and thats on my credit. When I looked a my credit after getting this letter from the collection agence there it was with the words that it had been disputed and verified. I could not have ever disputed what was not mine. I sent a letter to equifax telling them this today. What is my next step and is there anything else I can do. Does the creditor have to provide proff this is mine and what type of proof? Please help anyone.
You are dealing with a couple of problems here, the collection account and your credit report. It sounds like someone has gotten your personal information. There are steps you can take, and rights that you have. Please check back later tomorrow morning, sorry but not enough time right now to answer you fully. Don't worry, this can be handled.
Dispute it with the credit reporting agencies as a fraudulent account. In fact, call them and fill out the necessary paperwork. Do the same for the collection agency and request validation.
Step by step... Okay, sounds like a bit of a mess here, let's walk through this. I'm assuming you're new to the credit repair process, so I'll try to detail as much as possible. First, this sounds like identity theft, so a couple of basics here. 1) While it is somewhat fres in your mind, write down the dates that the collection agency contacted you, and how. Lay out by date a) when the CA called, b) the date you called them, c)the date you received the letter from them, d) the date that the account was reported on your credit report, e) the date that the "dispute" was entered & date "verified". Next, to cover yourself, you need to write a letter to Investors Retreivables that disputes this debt as "Not Yours", claiming possible identity theft, and requests "Validation" that this debt is your responsibility. This is the quick template: Investors Retrievables 123 Street Address City, State Zip Certified Mail Article No.: 123456789 Re: Account XYZ, Chase CC alleged debt Dear Representative: Please accept this as written dispute of this debt as claimed in your leter dated ??/??/2007. I do not recognize this account, nor have I ever had an account with the claimed creditors. I believe this is a case of identity theft. I request full and proper validation of this debt, evidencing any association with me, as required under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. I request that this account be removed from my credit reports, as I see you have reported this to the credit reporting agencies. (If you notice that the "date reported" is more than 5 days prior to the "notice" of this debt, this is a violation. Include this point if applicable). I am disputing this account with the credit reporting agencies, and initiating actions to address this identity theft. Please send all documentation showing my legal responsibility for this debt to the above address. I further request all communication be done in writing as well. Sincerely, shmeekers Make sure to send this letter Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested (CMRRR), it is advisable to include the article number on the letter itself. You will want to submit a copy of this letter with your dispute to the Credit Reporting Agencies. Next, contact the credit reporting agencies, a) dispute this account, citing "Not Mine"/identity theft as reason, b) request "Credit Freeze" on all your reports; this requires the CRAs to contact you before releasing your credit report to any inquirer/account opening. c) complete any paperwork requested by CRAs, d) you may want to contact your local police and complete a report for identity theft. A few notes: Write down/document, as best you can, all the details of your phone conversations w/IR now. Keep copies and records of all actions done in this situation. Make sure all communications get documented. Do not let this collection agency try to push you into paying, or "clear up later". Youu need to be tenacious in ensuring closure on a problem such as this. Any questions, please feel free to post.
I had a Providian account (in good standing) bought by Chase. It became Chase without any intermediate stops at any banks that were bought by banks that were bought by Chase. And Providian itself was eventually bought by WaMu. Is it possible you were misquoted the history of the card by the JDB? (if so, it probably means that among other things, the JDB doesn't have a good history of the account) IIRC, only "prime" accounts in good standing were sold by Providian to Chase (but I could be wrong, other accounts could have been sold too as part of the package). Providian needed to raise cash, and their "crown jewels" were what buyers wanted, not their subprime junk. The change happened in August-October of '02--I paid Providian in August and Chase in November (had zero balance in between).
This could be a possibility; account transfers are always a mess. It's possible that accounts got mixed between people with the same names, or very similar SS#s. Also possible that this is a "shotgun" approach, of hitting all people with this name, and/or similar SS#. This has been known to happen to "sort them out", and try to find someone to "pay".
Flacorps is pretty damn savvy. This member is proving to be an excellent asset in terms of practical knowledge. We need more members like this here . . .
