[HELP] ID Theft - Oregon

[intger]

I am a victim of identity theft dating back to 2001. I have filed a police report with the Portland Police Department (Oregon) and placed a fraud alert on my credit reports through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The result, my credit reports still possess fraudulent accounts. I have mailed the account holders with info from the Portland Police Department and from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the accounts have not been removed.

- What should I do ?

- Are there forms that I should use when mailing these fraudulent account holders ?

- Is it TRUE that if the information is not removed\corrected in a certain period of time the account holders can be sued ?

- What wording should be used when dealing when fraudulent account holders ?

 

[jharris352]

I think you are using the words account holder when you mean the creditor. The account holder would be you (or in this case the id thief). With that in mind here are my suggestions.

1. If there is no negative information, count yourself lucky as it is not really hurting you yet.

2. Your credit report should have the names and addresses of the fraudulent accounts. Send each one a Certified return receipt letter informing them that the account was not opened by you, that you will not stand good for the account, and that you demand they remove the account from your credit.

3. Either pay to pull your credit on each of the three bureaus, which you can do online, or request by mail a free report.

4. Send a copy of each certified letter to each bureau along with a letter to them telling them that you wish to have your credit corrected because these accounts are not yours. (You MUST reference the credit report number you pulled from their system or they will not correct your credit.)

Wait to see what they are going to say.

How much of that have you done exactly as I have said? From your post I gather you have done some of that, just not as I have said to do it.

 

[mightymoose]

Your credit report info contains detailed instructions for how to handle this. It is good that you notified the creditors, but each credit agency should also be advised of the fraudulent account and be provided the police case number. The instructions are with your report and are also on the websites of the major credit agencies.

As a victim of identity theft you are entitled to free copies of your credit reports.

 

[tpajet]

I'm not aware of any law where you can be sued if you don't get this corrected in a certain amount of time. A creditor may decide to sue you, but that would simply be part of the collections process. Before you get sued they should be trying to collect, which is the time to notify them that the account was opened fraudulently.

If you are asking this because a bill collector has threatened to sue you, I would suggest you read up on the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. It won't necessarily stop them from trying to sue, but armed with this information you can put them at bay from bad behavior.

Fair Debt Collections Practices Act FAQ's

Fair Debt Collections Practices Act PDF