My last post was What is my next step? I found this account that didn't belong to me. It was paid off and closed. Well, I called MBNA and ran into a big problem. They had a lot information on the account available. Apparently, all of my security information checked out which was impossible!!!! The only thing that I could show as wrong was the address. I found out that my mom was the one who opened the account. As you know the security information are things like what is your mother's maiden name which of course my mom knows. MBNA somehow had her name listed in their records with the account. She never said anything to me. It was paid out of a joint checking account that has my name on it. The only reason my name was on it was for emergency purposes. Because of this, it looks like that I was paying the account even though I wasn't. I was unable to convince MBNA to remove this account from my credit reports. They only way they said that they would remove it is if I took my mom to court. I AM NOT TAKING MY MOM TO COURT!!! Do I have any options other than waiting until 2006 when all of these lates will be removed? I have worked hard to pay all of my bills on time. There are NO other negatives of any kind on my credit report. This is preventing me from getting any credit that is better than I currently have. My visa has a 20.4% APR. My mastercard has a 19.4% APR. Both of those rates are unacceptable. The mastercard is with MBNA, and I am thinking of cancelling it in protest. However, I can't get anything as good to replace it, so I am stuck. Is there anything I can do?
RE: Problem with MBNA - can I Yeah, George, I know that is what I should do. Can you give me a little more, maybe something I could do to convince MBNA to remove it?
RE: Problem with MBNA - can I TELL THEM TO PRODUCE THE ORIGINAL PAPERWORK FOR THE ACCOUNT THAT YOU SIGNED. Since they cannot produce the original paperwork for the account that you signed...since you did not apply, REMOVE THE ACCOUNT FROM ALL THREE CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES!!! COULDN'T HURT.
RE: Problem with MBNA - can I I don't understand why MBNA is being difficult. It's not like there is money owed on the account. The account was paid and closed! Since you did not authorize this account, they should do the right thing and delete it from your credit profile (what are they gaining by keeping it there?). They don't have anything with YOUR signature on it....and that's the bottom line. Besides, your not alone. My mother did the sort of the same thing to me. When I was 15 I jokingly applied for a Mervyn's card and was approved. I used it a couple of times and paid it off but that was it. I put the card away. My mom found the card and used it and didn't pay. I found out about it when on my 16th b-day, she gave me a necklace and earings. 2 weeks later, I see a bill in the mail from Mervyns addressed to me of course and I open it. Of course she used MY card to buy ME a b-day present! I took the stuff back and had my account credited but she obtained the card and again and used it but this time she didn't pay. Then 3 years later, I go to buy a car and I was told that I had a charge-off on my report from Mervyns. I quickly contacted them and I had to fill out some paperwork and get it notarized and they removed it. They also sent me copies of charge receipts that were not signed in my handwriting of course. I even told them that my mother did it and I gave them all her info but they never did anything to her. I would do like George suggested. Call and immediately ask to speak with a supervisor. Be polite and tell them your story. If they don't want to listen, ask to speak with their boss then. If that doesn't work, then start writing letters to the big wigs at MBNA (Pat M. can get you that information) and CC EVERYBODY on the letters (i.e. FTC, Credit Bureaus, State Attorney General, whatever....anyone who you can file a complaint with). Something will get done eventually. When I had a problem with my Bloomingdale's account and this collection agency that they hired was seriously harrassing me, I wrote ALL KINDS of letters and cc'd EVERYBODY (local police, CRAs, BBB, FTC, big wigs at Bloomingdale's, FDSB who issues their credit cards, etc.) and Bloomingdale's contacted me with the quickness! Squared everything up and re-opened my account....sent me an apology letter, discount coupons, etc. You name it. I've come to the conclusion that if you every have a consumer problem, to write a letter if all else fails! Letters really do work. It may take some time, but it will eventually work.
RE: Problem with MBNA - can I Seriously, if you tell them your mother did it, they very well can file credit card fraud charges.. You might want to mull that over.. Cops do have a way of finding the truth, and you may not want your mom to be on fox's cops ... Suggest: GET A LAWYER. seriously. Either you or your mom, and have the issue handled..
RE: Problem with MBNA - can I That is something I am seriously worried about sam. I never told MBNA that it was my mom who did this. They had her name in the records of the account, and told me what it was. It isn't any trouble to figure out what happened.
RE: Problem with MBNA - can I I actually have the same exact problem with a Discover account. My mom opened the account, and later added me as an authorized user. BUt Discover is reporting me as joint - and her credit history is on my report. When I contacted Discover about it, they said that they might do a fraud research on the account about my mother if they can't verify my signature on an application (which they can't because I never signed for a joint account). As of yet Discover has not sent me any verification, but I'm afraid to press the issue, if it means risking my mother's good standing. The truth is that she listed me as an AU but they are reporting me as joint. :-( Marci
RE: Problem with MBNA - can I Jim, I'm sorry to say that if they haven't removed the account from your credit file now, the only thing that's going to get them to remove it, is to file a criminal complaint against your mom and cooperate with the prosecution. In my experience, credit card companies are extremely skeptical about people saying "it wasn't my account!" if they were given the right personal information in the application process unless the consumer shows that they really, really mean it by filing a criminal incident report with the local police, getting a noterized false document report, etc. I've helped a person who got her identitiy stolen by a complete stranger, and CC's won't even remove it after we did all this! My advice is if you don't want anything bad to happen to your mom (I guess besides the guilt and humiliation she feels toward you) to let it slide, even though it's going to cause you some hassle until 2006. If the rest of your credit is good, then you can explain to the lenders that the bad entries are there because of credit card fraud, many lenders will believe you. The person I am helping out now has 4 charge off entries from 2 cards they got in her name. Credit card companies wouldn't cooperate at all, even after we faxed them the police report we filed, but she still was able to buy a $425,000 house at prime mortgage rate (20% down, 7 3/8% with 1 point), because otherwise, she has 16 positive credit entries with (pays as agreed/never late) rating, and we wrote a letter explaining to the lender what happened, including copies of all our correspondence with the credit card companies. TomL
What about no harm, no foul? Like I stated, no money is owed on the account......therefore no harm, no foul....you would think? Why would they want to press charges? I know fraud was committed but the only one that suffered as a result was Jim, not the bank. I don't think there is a need to hire a lawyer. Just call and speak directly to a supervisor.....or ask to be transfered to the fraud dept. and speak w/ someone there. Explain that you suspect a family member but do not want to press charges. Just state that since the account was paid and closed, that you would like the account removed from your credit profile. You might have to sign an affidavid of forgery but that's fine. If alll else fails (aside from writing letters), just have a 100 word statement added to all 3 bureaus stating that the account was opened up fraudulenty and the bank will not work with you to remove it.
RE: Problem with MBNA - can I When you say that lenders will believe me about the entries being credit card fraud, does that include credit card companies?
RE: What about no harm, no fou I would think it would be this way, but from the others are talking, it doesn't look that way.
