I sent a Validation letter to these guys on Oct.20 this is the reply I got from them. Do I send them the info requested? The TL on the CR's is as follows: DISCOVER FINANCIAL SVC # 89898989898989 >PROFIT AND LOSS WRITEOFF< UPDATED 10/2003 BALANCE: $0 OPENED 07/1997 MOST OWED: $2275 PAID OFF 07/1997 >STATUS AS OF 07/1997: CHARGED OFF AS BAD DEBT< Response for validation request: DISCOVER Discover Financial Services Discover Bank P.O. Box 15316 Wilmington, DE 19850-5316 October 28, 2003 Numbskull 1313 Mockingbird Lane Anytown,USA 55555 RE: Account number 898989898989 Dear. Mr. Numbskull: Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding your Discover Card Account. However, we will need additional information to investigate the issue in question. Please provide us with the following: â?¢Your social security number, both if account is joint â?¢Your date of birth â?¢Previous addresses, if any Please return this letter with the requested information. Please mail this information to: Discover Bank Delaware Operations Center P.O.Box 15316 Wilmington, DE 19850-5316 If you are unable to obtain the information requested to complete your inquiry, please contact your credit bureau agency to process this dispute. Sincerely, New Accounts Credit Services MH/cbd Discover Financial Services A Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Company
DO NOT send this information to them. If this is a valid account, they should already have this information. Don't do their job for them. Either they can validate your account or they can't.
I'm not sure what the popular opinion on this is, but IMO, if they have the account number, that is all they need. I think they send out these 'we need more info' letters to stall things. If they have an account number listed on your reports, then they keep pretty crappy records if they can't find the other info they supposedly need. Are you disputing this as 'not mine'? If so, I'd send them a letter that says "i do not make a habit of sending out my personal information to companies I don't have accounts with'. Also, this is an OC (as opposed to a CA) so I'm a little confused as to why you sent them a validation letter in the first place. (not that it hasnt worked in the past, but a huge creditor like Discover knows better.) Is this your account? Have you disputed w CRAs yet? Also, how can an account be 'paid off' and 'chared off' in the same month? Is there a collection agency for this account listed on your report also? Did you pay it off right after charge-off? More details are needed so people can tell you what to do from here, but my first reaction is NO when people ask me for my personal info.
If I am only to send Validation letters to CA's what is the letter I need to send to OC's? I thought it was the same or have I confused myself again with so many different opinions out there?
Ok now I see that the account shows opened 07/1997 and Paid Off 07/1997. This account was mine, it was a rough time in my life (Divorce) I do not have any records of the account. I disputed with the 3 CRA as not mine. I am pretty sure that this went to a CA at some point but I shook them a while ago.
NumbSkull: You can provide a validation letter to anyone, its just that an OC isn't required to provide validation, they should be able to if they are maintaining adequite records, but they are not required to... Yes, it would make sense if they can't provide validation, then there is no way that they can report to the CRAs because they don't have the ability to VERIFY what they are reporting, as required under the FCRA. But who ever said the laws had to make sense...
Ok Jam: What should I do? Send them a letter saying I willl not send you my SS# because the account is not mine?
NumbSkull, Do not send them ANY information, they are basically telling you they cant validate the debt If you haven't done so already, just dispute the account with the CRA, there's a strong possibility it will be deleted from your reports. -Sal
Dispute it through the CRAs as not mine, since apparently they can not look up the account through the account number, the chances are it would be deleted.
i would say they need a little more information anyway just to prove its you. that would be the previous addresses part. its also a small protection against identity theft so they dont give information to just anyone.
Are you disputing this as 'not mine'? If so, I'd send them a letter that says 2*"i do not make a habit of sending out my personal information to companies I don 't have accounts with' crowmom ============= 2*I like this.
There is also another avenue of attack... The account was charged off as a bad debt, in the same month that it was opened, even though it was paid off in the month that it was opened? Hmmmm, I thought my brain teaser was bad, this one is even worse... BTW: its always a good idea to cross out the account numbers when posting.
1* I.E. So you recommend giving them the information so they can hang you with it rite? 2*Yeah that would be real smart-Duh! 3*They're not interested in protecting the poster against that. They are trying to trap the poster into having the debt hung on him. If they already don't have all the information they need then they don't have the info. they need to report the debt so it needs to be removed. THE END ** *** ** LB 59 """"```--~~~~~~~~~--```'""'''
Dont count on that. I have been fighting a TL from BofA for a long time now. I've never had a bank account or credit card from them. I called and gave them my name and the truncated account number to see what they came up with, and wouldnt you know it, they dont have me or that account number in their system. (maybe if i had the entire # they'd have found it...can I get that info from the CRA?) They asked for my SS# and i said Nope, thanks, goodbye. Figuring I was home free on this one if i disputed w CRAs, I immediately did so. It came back verified on 2 of the 3. I've sent a formal dispute letter to BofA letting them know this is not mine. I havent heard anything back yet, but its only been about 3 weeks. Here's a question: In a situation like this, where one doesn't give out his/her SS# to a creditor, can the CRAs legally give out that persons SS# when they call to verify? Is that how it is being verified?
Re: Re: Discover Reply to Val Letter I am just shocked that you would say such a thing. CRAs check out every dispute...its the law!! heehee but seriously....can they legally give out a person's SS#?
Re: Re: Discover Reply to Val Letter This has been disputed with CRA's on several ocasions over the last two years. It wont budge. I guess I will send them A letter saying "This is not my account and I wont give you my SS# because I do not have an account with you" Does anyone have an example letter that I might reference while writing mine?
Re: Re: Discover Reply to Val Letter California treats OC's as CA's I would exercise some discretion prior to telling someone that an OC is not bound to the same validation procedures as a CA.
Re: Re: Discover Reply to Val Letter Under the FEDERAL FDCPA OC's are not required to validate, yes, some states require OC's to be able to validate as CA's have to; however, the poster made no mention of their state.
