| 3. Debt collectors. If debt collectors attempt to require
you to pay the unpaid bills on fraudulent credit accounts, ask for the
name of the company, the name of the person contacting you, phone number,
and address.
Tell the collector that you are a victim of fraud and are
not responsible for the account. Ask the collector for the name and
contact information for the referring credit issuer, the amount of the
debt, account number, and dates of the charges.
Ask if they need you to complete their fraud affidavit form or if
you can use the Federal Trade
Commission form available by
clicking here (please note that this is an Adobe pdf file -- it
is usually quicker to right-click and choose the 'save as' option
and save it to disk. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you
can download a copy here -- ).
Follow up in writing to the debt
collector explaining your situation. Ask that they confirm in writing
that you do not owe the debt and that the account has been closed.
(For
additional information on dealing with debt collectors, read
Fact
Sheet No. 116 of the Identity Theft Resource Center,
www.idtheftcenter.org under
"Victim Resources.") |
