Why checking your credit reports is a good idea:
Today was a great day!! We have two major problems going on that we have been dealing with for a month now and one of them just got fixed!!
Actually it's a problem that occurred 4 years ago that we thought we had corrected, but it came back to bite us in the ass a month ago.
Let me explain....
Four years ago we kept getting notices from a collection agency addressed to somebody else but coming to our address. At first I ignored them, but after a few I decided to call this agency and let them know they had the wrong person. This person had the same first name as my husband and a very similar social security number...just one number different. Apparently, some clerical worker at the agency typed the SS# wrong for the credit report on this guy and, or course, it was my husband's credit report that they got since she had typed HIS SS# by mistake...being one number off. So they see the same first name and thought they had the right guy, especialy since this other guy's last name was Thomas which sounded like a middle name anyway. They get our address off the credit report and started sending the notices. When it was determined that there had been an error in the SS#, we didn't get anymore notices....problem solved....or so we thought....
Now four years later....last month....we get our DTE energy bill and it's like over $3600!!!! Hubby told me that he thinks maybe we are using the A/C too much when he handed me the bill....hardyharhar! There was over $3500 of past due charges being transferred to our account from some unknown address in Detroit. We're thinking WTF!! I mapquest this address and actually drove to it to check it out and see who lives there. Hubby wouldn't go. It was in a super super bad area of Detroit. I was scared to death. My heart was pounding just being in that neighborhood. It looked like nobody was even living at the address so I didn't bother knocking on the door and just got the hell out of there. Of course, even if there had been anybody living there, I still would have gotten the hell out of there. Hubby called DTE to find out what the hell was going on and we were told to go to one of their offices in Detroit. So we went down there which is in the same vacinity as the old abandoned train station on Bagley. You could see the station in the near distance.
So anyway, we sit for awhile until they call us and we got to speak to one of their representatives. She was confused as to what was going on too. She said that it appeared that a bill was also sent to the owner of the house. It was a rental. She then read the name of the renter and guess what....yep...same guy's name from 4 years ago! We explained the problem we had with this guy's name and this collection agency 4 years ago and she said that it appears that because of that error, his SS# and my husband's SS# are now 'linked' together. She checked HIS account and could see that his SS# was different than my husband's but similar. So when DTE sent for a credit report on this guy to get an address, even using his actual SS#, they got my husband's credit report intead because the two are linked now. But since this matter has already been turned over to the Account Recovery department she told us that we would have to call that department and get it straightened out. She also advised us to get copies of all 3 credit reports and we will have to get this guy and his SS# off or this will happen again.
We went home and hubby called the 800 number she gave us and was told that an ID Theft Packet would be mailed to us in 5-7 days and for us to fill it out before anything can be done. We waited 7 days and then were gone for a couple weeks in Caseville and when we got back...still no packet in the mail. So I call again and was told that it was requested and that we should have gotten it. He gave us another 800 number to call. I called and was told that we have to PICK IT UP AT THE BAGLEY OFFICE! They do not mail it out. So now a month after all this crap started we have to drive back down to the Bagley office where we started in the first place and pick up these papers. Talk about red tape and getting the runaround!
Before we left for Caseville we called and requested my husband's credit reports. Everybody is entitled to one free set once a year. There are 3 of them. Two of them were fine....but Experian, the one that DTE gets, has this guy's name, addresses, phone numbers and a COUPLE of collection agencies on it! OMG! What a mess...
I wasn't going to deal with it until I got back from Caseville. So I went to Caseville, ate lots of Cheeseburgers and drank tons of beer...and I forgot about it for awhile. But now I'm back and I have to deal with it. Yesterday is when we picked up the ID Theft papers. Today I called Experian. I thought it was going to be another runaround and red tape but it was actually very easy. The woman could easily see the problem and she simply deleted everything that had to do with this guy. She sent us a copy of my husband's 'fixed' credit report through email and now it's fine. She is also sending him his new credit score. With all that crap on his credit report, it was really low, like in the poor range....now it is fine again.
I feel so relieved. That part is fixed. His credit is back to good standing. No more linked SS# with this loser guy.
But now we have to fill out these papers and deal with DTE....but now that it is off my husband's credit report, they have no reason to bill us this guy's past due account. And when they check, they can see that his SS# is different. We'll get it straightened out, I'm sure.
But I advise everybody to get a free copy of your credit reports and check it out thoroughly. Online I had read that linked SS#'s are a common problem. When I first called Experian and explained the problem, he immediately transferred me to a different department...so they even have a separate department to handle linked SS#'s on credit reports. That's probably why it was simple to fix. They handle it all the time. Forget freecreditreport.com....cause it's not free. There is an 800 number you can call to get your once a year FREE ones.
So half the problem has been fixed...my husband's credit....and I'm sure DTE will get it straight now.
Anyway, I didn't sleep well last night worrying about all this, so I better get to bed.
Have a great Labor Day weekend.
Support Jerry's kids.
Ciao
Actually it's a problem that occurred 4 years ago that we thought we had corrected, but it came back to bite us in the ass a month ago.
Let me explain....
Four years ago we kept getting notices from a collection agency addressed to somebody else but coming to our address. At first I ignored them, but after a few I decided to call this agency and let them know they had the wrong person. This person had the same first name as my husband and a very similar social security number...just one number different. Apparently, some clerical worker at the agency typed the SS# wrong for the credit report on this guy and, or course, it was my husband's credit report that they got since she had typed HIS SS# by mistake...being one number off. So they see the same first name and thought they had the right guy, especialy since this other guy's last name was Thomas which sounded like a middle name anyway. They get our address off the credit report and started sending the notices. When it was determined that there had been an error in the SS#, we didn't get anymore notices....problem solved....or so we thought....
Now four years later....last month....we get our DTE energy bill and it's like over $3600!!!! Hubby told me that he thinks maybe we are using the A/C too much when he handed me the bill....hardyharhar! There was over $3500 of past due charges being transferred to our account from some unknown address in Detroit. We're thinking WTF!! I mapquest this address and actually drove to it to check it out and see who lives there. Hubby wouldn't go. It was in a super super bad area of Detroit. I was scared to death. My heart was pounding just being in that neighborhood. It looked like nobody was even living at the address so I didn't bother knocking on the door and just got the hell out of there. Of course, even if there had been anybody living there, I still would have gotten the hell out of there. Hubby called DTE to find out what the hell was going on and we were told to go to one of their offices in Detroit. So we went down there which is in the same vacinity as the old abandoned train station on Bagley. You could see the station in the near distance.
So anyway, we sit for awhile until they call us and we got to speak to one of their representatives. She was confused as to what was going on too. She said that it appeared that a bill was also sent to the owner of the house. It was a rental. She then read the name of the renter and guess what....yep...same guy's name from 4 years ago! We explained the problem we had with this guy's name and this collection agency 4 years ago and she said that it appears that because of that error, his SS# and my husband's SS# are now 'linked' together. She checked HIS account and could see that his SS# was different than my husband's but similar. So when DTE sent for a credit report on this guy to get an address, even using his actual SS#, they got my husband's credit report intead because the two are linked now. But since this matter has already been turned over to the Account Recovery department she told us that we would have to call that department and get it straightened out. She also advised us to get copies of all 3 credit reports and we will have to get this guy and his SS# off or this will happen again.
We went home and hubby called the 800 number she gave us and was told that an ID Theft Packet would be mailed to us in 5-7 days and for us to fill it out before anything can be done. We waited 7 days and then were gone for a couple weeks in Caseville and when we got back...still no packet in the mail. So I call again and was told that it was requested and that we should have gotten it. He gave us another 800 number to call. I called and was told that we have to PICK IT UP AT THE BAGLEY OFFICE! They do not mail it out. So now a month after all this crap started we have to drive back down to the Bagley office where we started in the first place and pick up these papers. Talk about red tape and getting the runaround!
Before we left for Caseville we called and requested my husband's credit reports. Everybody is entitled to one free set once a year. There are 3 of them. Two of them were fine....but Experian, the one that DTE gets, has this guy's name, addresses, phone numbers and a COUPLE of collection agencies on it! OMG! What a mess...
I wasn't going to deal with it until I got back from Caseville. So I went to Caseville, ate lots of Cheeseburgers and drank tons of beer...and I forgot about it for awhile. But now I'm back and I have to deal with it. Yesterday is when we picked up the ID Theft papers. Today I called Experian. I thought it was going to be another runaround and red tape but it was actually very easy. The woman could easily see the problem and she simply deleted everything that had to do with this guy. She sent us a copy of my husband's 'fixed' credit report through email and now it's fine. She is also sending him his new credit score. With all that crap on his credit report, it was really low, like in the poor range....now it is fine again.
I feel so relieved. That part is fixed. His credit is back to good standing. No more linked SS# with this loser guy.
But now we have to fill out these papers and deal with DTE....but now that it is off my husband's credit report, they have no reason to bill us this guy's past due account. And when they check, they can see that his SS# is different. We'll get it straightened out, I'm sure.
But I advise everybody to get a free copy of your credit reports and check it out thoroughly. Online I had read that linked SS#'s are a common problem. When I first called Experian and explained the problem, he immediately transferred me to a different department...so they even have a separate department to handle linked SS#'s on credit reports. That's probably why it was simple to fix. They handle it all the time. Forget freecreditreport.com....cause it's not free. There is an 800 number you can call to get your once a year FREE ones.
So half the problem has been fixed...my husband's credit....and I'm sure DTE will get it straight now.
Anyway, I didn't sleep well last night worrying about all this, so I better get to bed.
Have a great Labor Day weekend.
Support Jerry's kids.
Ciao
posted by Diane @ 1:17 AM
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