Identity Theft Part II - Dealing with Creditors

When you got your free credit report, you may never have checked your own credit before. Or, it may have been a long time since you did.

That means your identity theft may have taken place a long time ago. You could, at this very moment, have collection letters in your name, tied to your Social Security number, but going to some address you had never heard of until you read your credit report.

A terrible thought. Even if you're a saint, you'll probably be cursing again. But that won't help. You'll have to contact each of those debt collectors and straighten out the mess that some jerk made for you.

But just calling them won't do the trick. Put yourself in the debt collectors place. What would you think or say if someone called you and said "I know you have this bill for $7,000 in my name, but it's not mine. So erase it."

Here's what you need to do instead:

Begin by getting the name, company name, address and phone number for each debt collector, and every account that has not yet gone to collections. Put all this into your detailed log – a page for each is best because you'll be making more notes.

Call each of them. Inform them of your reason for calling, and tell them that you are recording what they tell you, along with the date and time. If you need to, ask to speak with a supervisor rather than the person you called. Be sure to record that as well.

Let each one know that you are a victim of identity theft. Tell them you have the FTC Uniform Fraud Affidavit, police reports, etc. Ask where you should send the copies, and to whose attention.

If you're talking with a collection agency, ask for the name, address, and phone number of the credit issuer they're representing. You'll want to contact them directly, as well as through the credit bureau. Why? Because their records need to show that this was not your debt. You want them to remove the "sent to collection" notation from the information they report to the credit bureaus.

Send each of these people a letter, stating that you don't owe the debt and enclosing the proof. Tell them to close the account immediately. Ask them to flag the account as fraudulent and remove it from your credit report.

Next, keep careful watch on your credit report. If you don't see the necessary changes within a reasonable time, go back to the beginning and make the necessary calls.

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