BkMaster Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 I got a ersponse to a debt validation from NCO on behalf of a utility company. Its basically a print out of transactions to come up with the 500.00+ they say I owe.No signed contract and no SS#. Just my name and another with an address that doesn't show on my CRs. Nothing from the Utility company .Is this validation?If not, how do I get them removed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativechild48 Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Printout is not DV tell them if they cannot give a proper DV as per the fdcpa and the fcra please remove this acct from your CR's and not to place any negative info on your reports and they must cease and desist all collection activities as required by law since they did not validate or you will take the neccessary actions to seek relief in your local district court. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Is there a certain letter I need to send them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativechild48 Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 8) See Sis, she has many excellent letters that you can use as a template to use to be very effective Sorry I did not get back to you sooner, but upgrading system. See her in the sticky's or some threads, and it says go here for letters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 I can't seem to find a letter that outlines thier error. Anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativechild48 Posted October 17, 2003 Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 Did you check out the letters at the beginning of the forum that says "sample letters", choose and edit one to fit what you are trying to say. This will bump to the top and maybe someone else has an idea. Don't know exactly what you are trying to say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 I need a letter that says, they did not properly validate the debt and they need to remove the listing from the CRAs.I need something that is aggressive but yet very specific law wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustedCredit Posted October 17, 2003 Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 How would a utility company validate? You request that your service be connected/put in your name by phone. There is no written contract, nothing signed. Isn't the fact that if an address was your legal residence for a period of time you are responsible party?? So....what would be proper validation from a utility company? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 The utility company is not on the report, NCO is. and my is, I never lived at that address. I have had trhe same address for the last 7 years. They say that the service was for 3 yrs ago.? So, I want it removed from my reports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustedCredit Posted October 17, 2003 Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 I realize that I didn't word my question properly. How would a CA validate an alleged utility bill debt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 Don't know, but they need to do it for this one.Well, heres another point to ponder for ya, If its not mine, how did they turn on the power without verifing who it was? I guess if I ever move I'll just use your info. and have the power turned on in your name....Remeber, its just a phone call with no ID needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2003 Anyone else??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb9tbq Posted October 18, 2003 Report Share Posted October 18, 2003 Hey, when you have fraud dispute you need to call them direct on the matter and inform them that this was not your address and it is not your bill.You should read up on the ID Theft section here, also there is a governing company over utility companies that you need to locate for your state and file a complaint with.What is the date of this account? If within 2 years - you have rights to still legally do something on this matter. Suggest filing a police report and sending an ID Theft Affidavit to the creditor / collection agency. And calling the CRA to add fraud alert to your credit reports.There is a many things here you need to do to cover yourself on this matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 19, 2003 Report Share Posted October 19, 2003 Same thing happened to meCalled to get cable.. was told there was a 53 dollar balance in my name from 1994. Told the cable company that this wasnt mine.. the ex boyfriend lived there and must have used my info.CSR told me it didnt matter and that I had to pay it.. it was MY SSN and that was all that mattered.I asked her if I could call and get cable in my daughters name since I had her SSN#.She said.. Yeah, sure I guess you could if you wanted.So I tried it... and it worked. ((WE DID NOT GET CABLE IN HER NAME.. simply placed the order then canceled it.)I talked to a supervisor about this and nothing was done... nothing.Utilities are a new ballgame.. dunno what to say bout those cept DV them to death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2003 thats what I want to do, but I need a folow up letter saying that thier debt validation wasn't good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativechild48 Posted October 20, 2003 Report Share Posted October 20, 2003 I think Kb was trying to tell you that you should call the original utility company and tell them that you found some CA listed on your account for a utility bill that is not yours and you never lived at that address KB wrote:You should read up on the ID Theft section here, also there is a governing company over utility companies that you need to locate for your state and file a complaint with. So if this is less than two years you have some leverage to go to them if the utility co. is not going to investigate this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 27, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 After reading thier validation a little better, I see nothing from the OC, or utlilty company, just a computer print out wit nothing specific on it, is this validation?I really don't want to go through all the trouble of the police reports and stuff, I think I know who may have done this (a relative), and I really don't want to cause any trouble for them. Experian has already contacted some of the inquiries I disputed and stated in a letter that I filed a police report..? What gives the CRA the right to do this?I allowed them to add a fraud alert so to dispute the inquiries, but I didn't tell them I filed a police report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michigangirlsguy530 Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 I know if i owned a big corp like most of these utillities companies i would require positive ID for my services, because from what my wife tells me as far as the DV goes, the act states that they have to provide theses things such as the signature and so on and so forth. So if they dont they lose out period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 28, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Anyone else. This is my first validation and could use some help with this one.Also in the validation letter I asked for all the supporting evidence and got nothing, not even a signature on the letter they sent me.Just a computer print out, apperantly from them.I need to get this resolved as fast as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 BUMP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb9tbq Posted October 30, 2003 Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 I am sorry to say this, but a signature does not always make proper validation. Utility companies are the prime example to this. Since they activate accounts all the time, just by calling them.You are not facing a new problem here, I have taken so many calls over the years on utility fraud - because of family members taking advantage of a situation to get power turned on! And like you - I hear the same story, I don't want to cause problems for the family member that cause the problem!Well it is their fault in the matter, if you look at your options - do you want to pay for 7 years from their actions? Actually you will pay longer then that, once a utility company has an unpaid collection account on you, it does not matter if you are out of the SOL, they will black list you from ever being able to get service again!And if you do decide to pay, it will be a pretty heafty price, because the deposit they will require the next time you want to turn service on will get you. I have seen people have to pay upwards of $400 just to get service turned on.I know utility companies - never are accountable - they don't care about your problem, and they pretty much act apon this as if they are god in these matters. You usually have to file a complaint with the Utility Commission in your state or some other higher up regulating company to get action. KathyIL just tonight posted some information in the Credit Repair section regarding contacts for filing complaints against Utility Companies.I do stress that if you expect to every get out from under this and show reasonable effort to the creditor & credit reporting agency it will nessesitate that you file a police report. If you read the FTC's policy on this, you will see that this is what they advise the creditors to accept no less then to justify dismissing charges due to ID Theft.Also suggest that you read the ID Theft Affidavit that they have at their site on this matter. When completing the forms - it specifically gives you the option to name the person responsible or to opt out of providing that information! So with that in mind I suggest that you at least aquire one of these books and look over the form in question.If you complete one of these and submit it to the police department with all other information that you have, including copy of the utility / collection bill and the address in question that they are stating was serviced - let the police do their own investigation. You don't have to name the person, just what happened so that you can get the nessasary paperwork to forward to the CRAs and the Creditor / Collection Agency - so that you can move on and put this behind you.Also - Debt Validation Letters - Are not for ID Theft - they are specifically for credit repair. Don't confuse the two, because creditors know all to well what they are expected to see from a victim of ID Theft. That is all there is to it. You have a choice here to make, I hate to see you just sit on this matter, and family or no family let this other individual get away with abusing your trust and sabatoge your financial stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 Come to find out that this same person that is listed on the old bill, also has had service witht this utility company for the last 2 years in thier own name. Apperantly the balance was worked into the new account and supposably paid, but NCO still has this account. I'm trying to get some kind of proof that the bill was infact paid and get this removed that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb9tbq Posted October 30, 2003 Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 Ok, then what you do is go head to head with the utility company, and inlist the assistance of the individual family member that is now claiming to pay on this account.Make it a conference call or three way call if you have to - but don't finish the call with the Utility company until someone there can review the matter and sort it all out. Put them on notice to call their collection agency off on this matter once it is resolved, and accept no less then a fax or mailed out letter confirming what was arranged. That they will be removing this from your credit report for good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkMaster Posted October 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 I will give that a try.Kinda wierd, they say we owe, and yet this person has service in thier own name currently..?How dumb is this.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb9tbq Posted October 31, 2003 Report Share Posted October 31, 2003 Utilities are very versitile... know well enough here renting for many years. I remember a few odd cases, I didn't think should of been possible.One time, I had an account in my name and wanted to leave the individual I was with and not knowing that I could of just told the Utility company to put into his name. Instead I told them to close the account - and turn off service.I knew better now - when we bought our home, made sure to inform the Utility company that the power needed to be switched over to the landlords name.I know working for the credit bureau - that landlords have serious problems than most people know about. When a tenant takes over responsibility of a property - the power is in the landlords name, but it is up to the renter to call and switch this over to their name. Quite often a landlord will get screwed by tenants that never do this. And then they have to evict them and end up paying the bill themselves unless they take the tenant to court and sue them. But not to many small landlords will add the extra cost to filing a judgment since most of the time, they don't enforce (through wage garnishment) the judgment to get paid.I can't count, how many people call me each year - especially more and more of them are children that their parents had bad credit so they signed up utilities, and cable bills in their names. I do extra work here for the local cable company and will hunt down missing cable boxes for them. I personally know here where I live of one lady that accomplished using 3 or her four kids to get cable service. So I alerted the office of what the 4th childs name was! Plus both spouses already had bad accounts with them.They just don't think anything is wrong with it, but usually that is when something does go wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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