Getting Hounded by Creditors?
When a credit card company gets tired of dealing with your
debt, it often sells the debt asset to another agency, often a
credit collection company. The new company may start to
hassle you for payments - but first you need to figure out
what your correct amount of debt is, and to whom you
owe it.
Before dealing with this new company, call the old credit
card company to find out who is holding your debt now.
Find out what the amount is you still owe. Get as much
current information as you can from them as you can, and
also dig out all your statements and receipts, plus proof of
payments you've made.
In many cases, you do not even owe the debt a credit
collector is trying to collect from you! There are many
collectors who try threatening tactics to coerce you to
pay a debt, but in actuality it might be someone else's
debt that is trying to be collected, or it could be that you
have already paid the debt! Don't let anyone intimidate
you - talk calmly to them and find out the actual story
about the debt they say you owe.
I had two circumstances recently that told me there are
"fishy" people working the business. In one case, the
person kept calling and insisting that there is a lien against
my company for a debt (funny - I use a PO Box for mailing
purposes and it's the official business address - how can
there be a lien against a PO Box?). I kept trying to get the
guy to tell me details, but the more he dug, the less he could
explain. It turns out it was some debt that a similar sounding
company had - but he could not locate it, so he started
going through records to find any company of a similar
name, and started off with threatening tactics immediately,
thinking he can get the debt paid by anyone. I told him to
take me off his list and never call again. So far, so good.
Another situation I had is that I had paid off a credit card
debt, in full, in a settlement, awhile back. I began to get
calls and notices in the mail one week - at which point I
spoke to them and they demanded the balance by the end
of the month. I asked which credit company this debt
is from, and he stated the details to me. I said this is odd,
because I had paid that debt off already, and have the
settlement pay-off statement to prove it. Then he started
to slow down, and took awhile going through the records
in his computer - and found that I had settled the account
in full. I told him to not call or hassle me anymore, and
so far, so good.
The moral of the story is - keep all your paperwork, and
keep the last month's statement of any credit card bill you
have. Always keep settlement statements (and make sure
you get a settlement statement is you do negotiate a pay-
off). Keep track of every credit situation you have - and
don't let anyone bully you into paying something - even
if you do owe it. Calmly get your papers in order, and
figure out what is correct in the situation. If you owe the
debt, then discuss the payment terms with a representative,
but stress that he or she must speak to you in a civil
manner. You can work out a payment plan, but not be
pushed into an ultimatum.
Did you know that these tactics are used effectively and
many people have been coerced into paying the same
debt over and over (or pay into someone else's debt who
is a mistaken identity) because they don't bother to check
their bills or records to prove or disprove the debt. If
the bullying tactics work, they will continue to try.
One more way to keep the creditors from calling or
hassling you is to find out the mailing address of the
collector who is calling, and send a statement telling this
company to quit calling. They are required to comply
with your request. Make sure to keep a copy of the letter
you send, and also to send it certified, or in some way
get proof of its receipt by the creditor.
~~~~~~~~~~
Pauliina is a funding agent who tried to help people with
their finances. Get more information on credit problems at
http://www.doubleii.com/credit.htm
Lawsuit, car accident, or insurance advances available at
http://www.advancelawsuitfunding.com
Check your bank accounts daily! Report any charges...
Check your bank accounts daily! Report any charges that you do not recognize. I found a charge of $703 made in my account and
I did not make the charge. I called my bank immediately and my card was canceled right away, and they told me that the charge
was made in a store in Texas - I was in Colorado the entire time. I called the business (they had a website that I found on a search).
The purchase was made on the Internet and the part was picked up the next day. I asked what matching information they had - they used
my credit card number, my address, my phone number, my name - but not the 3 digit number on the back of the card. The store owner
asked me if I was white or black, which I thought odd, but said white. He said the people who picked up the part were black. I
called the bank with the information and they began an investigation. The bank provisionally credited me back the $703 within days.
Having made the purchase as a Visa credit card, I was covered by the Visa fraud protection. I made a police report as well, and the
officer said there is a sophisticated device that is handheld - it scans a credit card and takes all information on it. Then the
thief only need to pull up phone and address information - easy to do if you are in the phone book, or have information available
on the Internet. The only protection you have is to monitor your accounts diligently and run all your transactions as credit
(not debit). Keep track of who gets hold of your card, and if possible do not lose sight of your card when you use it - don't let
anyone take it away or under a desk area to process it - have it processed in front of you.
~~~~~~~~~~
Pauliina is a funding agent who tried to help people with
their finances. Get more information on credit problems at
http://www.doubleii.com/credit.htm
Lawsuit, car accident, or insurance advances available at
http://www.advancelawsuitfunding.com
What Was That Charge?? How to Correct It and Stop Identity Theft
Check your bank and credit card accounts daily! Report any charges that you
do not recognize immediately - you may be a victim of identity theft, and you
can hopefully reverse the fraudulent charge.
I found a charge of $703 made in my account on a Sunday (I wanted to make
sure a check had cleared - but saw a low balance that could not be right) and I
did not make the charge - it processed on Friday. I called my bank immediately
and my card was canceled right away, and they told me that the charge was made
in a store in Texas - I was in Colorado the entire time, and had all receipts
for the charges that I did make.
I called the business in Texas (they had a website that I found on an
Internet search). The purchase was made over the Internet on Thursday, and the
part
was picked up at the store the next day, Friday. I asked what matching
information they had - the thieves used my credit card number, my address, my
phone
number, my name - but not the 3 digit number on the back of the card. The store
owner asked me if I was white or black, which I thought odd, but said white.
He said the people who picked up the part were black. A good clue!
I called the bank with the information and they began an investigation. The
bank provisionally credited me back the $703 within days. With their having
made the purchase as a Visa credit card, I was covered by the fraud protection.
I made a police report as well, and the officer said there is a sophisticated
device that is handheld - it scans a credit card and takes all information on
it. Then the thief only need to pull up phone and address information - easy to
do if you are in the phone book, or have information available on the
Internet. The only protection you have is to monitor your accounts diligently
and run
all your transactions as credit (not debit - the credit card fraud protection
is not available unless run as credit).
Keep track of who gets hold of your card, and if possible do not lose sight
of your card when you use it - don't let anyone take it away or under a desk
area to process it - have it processed in front of you. And as soon as you find
a discrepancy on your account, report it to the bank or credit card company
immediately - and cancel that card. Give all information you can, report it to
your local police, plus report it online at the govenrment site - we give you
the link at our site. Also - be careful of where you publish your personal
information - it's probably a bad idea to publish your address in the phone
book.
Pauliina Roe is a funding agent, helping people find money to tide them over.
Identity theft is a growing problem and I help keep people informed of the
latest measures against fraud and scams. http://doubleii.com/identitytheft.htm
and funding services at http://advancelawsuitfunding.com
Keep your credit/debit card receipts
My husband regularly throws out receipts as soon as he uses his credit or debit card. This is dangerous in more than one way.
The receipt can be picked up by someone who can try to pull up information on it - perhaps even going back to the store with receipt
in hand, and somehow finding a way to get more information or perhaps to increase the amount of purchase - who knows? Many places only
put the last 4 digits of a card on the receipts, but it's scary how scammers can still figure out a way to use these receipts. The
other problem is that when the charge comes through the bank or credit agency, it may or may not be in the same amount as you
remember - sometimes a decimal point is entered in the wrong place, or the number is keyed in wrong. The only proof you have that it's
wrong is the receipt. I have had this happen in the past, and having the receipt made it easy to both track and correct. So remember -
keep all your debit (although I hope you are running all your debit card purchases as "credit") and credit receipts until you can check
your account - then shred the receipts.
~~~~~~~~~~
Pauliina is a funding agent who tries to help people with
their finances. Get more information on credit problems at
http://www.doubleii.com/credit.htm
Lawsuit, car accident, or insurance advances available at
http://www.advancelawsuitfunding.com
Did Your Card Buy Someone Else's Groceries?
I bought groceries last week, exactly $10 worth of on-sale granola bars and Sobe drinks for a whopping total of $10. I used the self
scan service, and walked out with my receipt and groceries. I was looking at my account balance to see what checks and debits had
cleared, and I did not see my $10 amount, several days later (and this grocery store always posts on same or next day to my account).
Well, in looking at the receipt - it was not my card that was charged, but an American Express card, which I do not have one of. Nor
did I have any card ending in the last 4 digits of 8007 as was on the receipt. I went to the store and the management was baffled -
perhaps the checkstand had held onto the previous card and paid for the purchase I made? They had not seen this happen before, and it
had not happened to me, either, but the amount was correct, the items were correct, and the American Express pruchase was wrong. It
was my receipt, with correct date and time and items, but no charge was made to my account. This type of situation may not be readily
reported to a store - since most people tend to throw away receipts, or not look at them like I do. If they don't see a charge come
through, they don't worry about it. If they see a receipt with a wrong card, most people would not report it since it won't show up on
their card. So, who knows how often this might happen? Check your balances and keep your receipts - it's the only way to prove that
your amounts match the amounts that come through as charges. If you get charged twice at the same store (and did not make 2 purchases)
and have the correct receipt, perhaps a scanner held onto your card information and used it to buy for the next person in line? You can
take your receipt in and let the store know the other charge must be wrong. This is the only way the store can start looking into the
potential problem. Until then, no one knows if there is a problem. Oh yeah - I did pay $10 cash to
the grocery store after I convinced them it was my purchase and not the other person's - then they
can refund that person if they can track his card down or if he comes and complains.
~~~~~~~~~~
Pauliina is a funding agent who tried to help people with
their finances. Get more information on credit problems at
http://www.doubleii.com/credit.htm
Lawsuit, car accident, or insurance advances available at
http://www.advancelawsuitfunding.com
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