First, thanks to everyone for your responses to my previous posts. There is a new development in this saga, and I wanted to get your take on the situation. A letter of mine that contained all of my personal identifying info, such as, name address, social, drivers license number, shows up in court with a header at the top â??Innovis Marketingâ? ( I never had any dealings with Innovis Marketing). The company that supposedly had my letter in their possession keeps changing the story about how that header got on my letter (I wonâ??t bore you with the details) but I am now even more concerned when this particular Innovis Marketing was brought to my attention: http://www.consumerscorebuilder.com/privacy.html From what it looks like, this company can open up any kind of account, any where AROUND THE WORLD, as long as they have a personâ??s personal identifying information, and it looks like they have mine! Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated. P.S. I have placed a fruad alert on my account, but that only covers the U.S.
Why don't you give FTC a call, and find out what they consider "Innovis Marketing" to be, and whether their possesion and distribution of your identifying information brings them under the coverage of the FCRA, and whether what they are doing is in conformance with? They might be interested in taking a look at whether companies are trying to do an end run around existing law. TU battled them over sale of marketing information obtained from credit files several years ago, and lost. What were the circumstances that led to this document being introduced into court? Was this a letter that you had written, and to whom had you sent it? Or are you dealing with some new CRA driven marketing lead generating product, possibly involving CRAs selling your info to other companies based on changes and inquiries to your credit file? Did a CRA disclose and sell more than allowed for in a promotional inquiry under FCRA?
We are in the discovery phase right now in a lawsuit that I have filed against Telecheck for violations of the FCRA. I have written Telecheck numerous letters over a two year period of time trying to avoid this, but that didn't work. Only a few of the letters I wrote to Telecheck were produced in discovery by Telecheck because they said the company who handles their document retention accidentally destroyed some of my letters, so in other words, a part of my file was destroyed. One of the letters they did produce was a letter I mailed to Telecheck in May 2005, and it has all, and I do mean all, of my personal identifying information contained in the letter. A "new thing" on my letter was a fax header at the top: "10/06/05 THU 11:57 FAX 7133328284 Innovis Marketing 001" I sent this letter directly to Telecheck (I think this one was certified) so I could not have caused this fax header to appear, and I've never had any dealings with Innovis Marketing. As we go through the legal process we keep getting different reasons and stories about this telephone number and how this header got on my letter. This is just one of the many concerns I have about Telecheck. I'll keep you posted if there are any new developments.
Presumably, your own documentation shows what you sent and disputed, since they have admitted destroying their own records. You would presumably have certified receipts, green cards, and FAX reports. They are the ones responsible for maintaining dispute processes to remove erroneous information. Their admitted lack of records only undermines the validity of their own documents as a complete record of their handling of your dispute.
Ontrack, yes I definitely have all of the delivery receipts, actually my attorney has them, but I never sent them a fax. We have requested the fax reports for their machine, the one in question, but like every thing else they have been very, very, uncooperative in resolving anything. Did you happen to look at the link above? I was amazed that a company like this could exist! In essence, you can "buy" a higher credit score? What is that about? Notice how they can open an account in your name any where, even a foreign account! This all is extremely disturbing.
Who exactly are these people? I have heard of companies claiming to offer credit score improvement by opening of accounts of questionable legitimacy, but they have generally been "catalog credit card" companies. Is this company actually part of the CRA Innovis, or are they a scam illegally using their tradename to appear legitimate? It would be interesting to just call Innovis and ask if this company is one of their operations.
From their program description, it would appear that there is a loan deposited to an account that colateralizes the loan, to which you have no actual access, with no interest either way, just up front fees of $300, to create a credit report loan payment history of a "paid consumer loan" in 12 months. If they are NOT legitimate, they have your identity when you apply, and of course, your $300. Since the $300 is paid up front, even though you never actually get the loan proceeds, it is in effect an "advance fee loan". Actually, from their FAQ, the cost is: "Q: How much does this program cost? A: CCB charges an initial processing fee of either $79.99 monthly administration payment to your account of $19.95 for 12 months." Reduced to simplest terms, you pay $300 up front, and over the next 12 months you get on-time "payment history" for a $10000 loan added to your credit report, by their "lenders". At least with a traditional secured credit card, the payment history represents real purchases and real payments by the consumer, even if the lender is protected by a colateral account balance. What is an outfit selling a "program" to skew your credit history doing in bed with a CRA, Telecheck? And what is that CRA doing turning over your dispute, made under federal FCRA law, to such an outfit? You dispute your Telecheck credit report, and you are now a "marketing opportunity" for credit fabrication? It's devilishly ingenious.
Thanks again Ontrack Again, your choice of words could not be more appropriate!! Devilish indeed. In the meantimeâ?¦.. My most personal identifying information appears to have been breached. I have put a fraud alert on my credit info, but this will only cover the U.S.. Do you know a way that I can find out if this company has opened a foreign bank accounts in my name? Is there such a thing as a foreign credit check?
I would be asking these questions of FTC. This would likely be not just a one-off error, but a systematic forwarding of consumer information from a CRA to a questionable company. That is the very area where regulatory authorities should get to the bottom of it, and they have the authority under law to do so. What would Telecheck call sell a marketing lead based on your dispute? Was there an Innovis promotional inquiry on your Telecheck report? Did they make you a "firm offer of credit"? (There have already been cases on bogus "firm offers of credit".) Or are they claiming anything in a "dispute" is not credit file information so they are free to use it as they see fit? TU wanted to pull that one, and got slapped down by FTC several years ago. Since even as a marketing lead, your dispute letter, sent specifically to the CRA under the FCRA dispute process, contains information that parallels your file, including your name and identification information, and since such information was obtained and collected by a CRA covered by FCRA, any sale of such information would be covered under FCRA, and would legally have to fit into the allowed categories. I think they are both screwed.
I called my attorney and shared your recommendation, he agreed. He said he's got to check into some things first (previous depositions). I'll let you know the outcome.
Perhaps a victory? It appears as though this "Innovis Marketing" company no longer exists. I tried to access their web page and it is no more. I also called their telephone number and it is disconnected!!!!!! If any of you out there helped to bring this to the attention of the powers that be, thanks so much for your help. I hate to see people who are already struggling have more burdens placed on their shoulders. I know that laws like the Credit Repair Organizations Act, FCRA, FDCPA and Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices may not be be perfect, but ultimately they are a blessing to those who are being persecuted and taken advantage of.
BBB has an entry for them, rated "unsatisfactory", with 1 complaint in the last 3 years, but over a year ago.
If Innovis Data Solutions were to receive an inquiry addressed to their legal department as to whether Innovis Marketing was a related company, they would probably have had an interest in taking action to protect the value of their tradename.
Their web address has a splash/page, that this domain was just purchased. I wouldn't doubt that the company wouldn't be a part of the Innovis Data Solutions, umbrella. More than likely this is a result of the "Many Headed Hydra" effect. A company has too many subsidiaries/dbas/aliases that it sends something from a fax machine from one of its subsidiaries/dbas/aliases to another without thinking what the Fax Machine is configured to send as its 'signature'... So, the nearest fax machine is used, without realizing exactly what that fax machine is revealing about itself, and the corporate structure is inadvertently exposed. Just look at Innovis' hydra heads. CBC-Innovis includes, CA - CBCS, and CRA - INNOVIS Now, Telecheck is a head of the "First Data" Hydra... Which is way too convoluted to draft a genealogy tree for. Is it too hard to believe that Telecheck may have 'off-loaded' some of their document retention to CBCS/Innovis; and that CBCS/Innovis in their infinited wisdom accidentally sent the fax back to Telecheck from one of their marketing offices?
Are you saying that First Data, Telecheck, and Innovis Data Solutions have common ownership? That would explain the Telecheck dispute ending up with an "Innovis Marketing" header. Innovis Data Solutions would appear to be a different company entirely from the "Innovis Marketing" website operation of vaporous existence and legitimacy. That "company", based on their website and BBB report, still appears to be an attempt by someone else to market questionable "credit improvement" services, "borrowing" the Innovis name to create the appearance of legitimacy. Not clear if they actually intended to deliver what they promised, were a scam to collect fees, or were a phishing site. Since Innovis Data Solutions appears to be used by the mortgage industry for maintaining of mortgage payment information, it seems unlikely that some part of it would be involved in creating questionable credit history in exchange for fees.
Not sure if FD/Innovis are married, but it wouldn't surprise me if FD contracted with some part of Innovis... Keep in mind that FD's Telecheck mainly outources collection jobs after their initial attempts to collect. It wouldn't surprise me that they were in bed with CBCS or another collection subsidiary of CBC/Innovis to outsource some of their work. Outsourcing to some CBC/Innovis entity is the only way that I can think of that would explain the "Innovis" fax. Keep in mind that CBC/Innovis does have their own marketing subsidiary, so if the Innovis Marketing was just in the header of the fax; it could be that that is how they have the fax header for their "MKTG SERVICES" entity to just say "Innovis Marketing". This is probably most likely, the "Innovis Marketing" web site is supposedly in FL; the fax # is in Hoston, TX, where both Innovis & Telecheck have some of their operations.
Did you find the FL "Innovis Marketing" website by web search, or was there information in the "Innovis Marketing" header to tie it directly to the FL site? If not, the FL operation may be a "red herring". They may simply have been stealing "Innovis" name to appear legitimate, but otherwise unrelated to your dispute.
Good points First, let me say that both of your comments are valid, and during the past year I have considered those very same things over and over and over again myself. The most logical way to find out who Innovis Marketing is would be for Telecheck to tell us the truth. Unfortunately, they wonâ??t. As far as the â??Innovis Marketingâ? that was shut down in Florida, under the Credit Repair Organization Act it is illegal to collect money to repair someoneâ??s credit BEFORE you actually provide the service. Whether they charge $300 or $14.99 or $1.00, it doesnâ??t matter. It appears as though they were breaking the law, and I many never know if this was the Innovis Marketing involved in my situation, but at least this prevented other people from being taken advantage of. I am so sick of this but if they want a fight, theyâ??ve picked the wrong person.
Evidence Destroyed!!!!!!!!! The Judge ordered Telecheck to fax my attorney a letter from the fax machine that they cliam contained the header "Innovis Marketing". They claimed this was their machine and the reason it said Innovis Marketing was because they acquired it from First Data which formerly had a subsidiary named Innovis Marketing and: "11 They just never reprogrammed the header because they 12 didn't have the manual. They didn't know how to do 13 it." (quote from their attorney) It was really hard for me to believe that the "world's leading producer of data" couldn't reprogram a fax machine... in any event...the time comes for the fax transmission and their attorney informs the court that they could not send the fax because the machine WAS DISCARDED!!!!!!!!!! These people are unreal. No wonder they sold the farm.
