TESTIMONIALS:
Jenny, Student
"I normally don't open junk mail, but one
day by accident I did it. This was one of those credit card
solicitations, and to my surprise it was a letter saying that
my husband and I had been denied a card with this company due
to a foreclosure on a home, bankruptcy, and a default car payment.
Well, we had just closed on our first home, built three months
prior to this letter, I'm sure if we had a foreclosure we wouldn't
been renting a moving truck. Oddly enough we owned both of our
vehicles free and clear. I proceeded to call the credit card
company and let them know of the mistake, of course they told
me we did apply and we could order a free copy of our credit
report. So I did and none of this things appeared on my husbands
report or mine. Now my curiosity was peaked, I called the credit
card company a second time and requested a copy of the application.
They could not provide it for me, as they no longer claimed
to have it. Not happy with this answer I contacted their headquarters,
there I found out it was submitted online, but still had no
copy. I then wrote the US Comptrollers office; luckily I received
a copy of the online application within two weeks. Sure enough
there was my address, and my husbands name, but it was not his
social security number or his work number, and the employer
was on the opposite coast. It appears this person trying to
obtain a credit card was a beginner and used our mailing address
and name, but his employer and social security number! We got
lucky but as a precaution I did notify my accounts and placed
a fraud alert. I only was made aware of this because I opened
a piece of junk mail that I would have ordinarily thrown out.
Moral of the story, open and read all of your mail even the
junk!"
Andrea, A Valencia Community College Student
"A couple years ago I tried to obtain credit
through a major credit card company and had my credit denied.
According to the company, I had too many open accounts and a
delinquent account. I thought there was something wrong with
that, so I requested a copy of my credit report. I was really
surprised with what I found on the report. I had an account
with a home loan company, a car loan with a bank, and a delinquent
account with a hotel in California that did not belong to me!
I immediately called all the creditors to explain that those
accounts did not belong to me. The home loan issue was solved
quite fast once I proved my Florida residency. The car loan
took me almost a year; it took several phone calls, letters,
and a final conference call with the bank, a social security
officer and myself to have this issue resolved. During this
process I was offered a credit protection plan, which I accepted.
I also disputed the hotel charge as well. Six months later,
I received a new credit report. The home loan account was gone.
However, the car loan was still there, but it stated that the
account did not belong to me and the car had being repossessed.
Problem solved? I do not think so. Recently, I asked for another
copy of my credit report just to find out a new delinquent account
with a cellular phone company!"
Adriana, Store Manager
"I received a package from UPS with instructions
on how to run my recently opened UPS account. I called UPS to
find out who had opened the account, and to my surprise, the
company said that I did it. I instructed them to close it immediately.
Later I found out that my ex-husband had used my personal information
to open that account for his business. Around the same time
frame, I received an updated contract from my car insurance
company. On the new contract there was another car added to
my policy, which I did not owned. I called the insurance company
to notify them of their mistake. They informed me that I had
added that car to the policy. I became extremely upset, explained
that I had not added any new cars to the policy and asked them
to remove that car immediately. I can trust no one!"
Karen & Alfredo, Local Home Owner
"Our vehicle was broken into approximately
one year ago.
During the burglary our wallets were stolen along with other
various items. Our first instinct was to file a police report
and replace the items. It wasn't until recently that we realized
what kind of damaged had occurred during that burglary. Not
only did the thieves take our valuables but also our identities.
Through the use of the information found in our wallets, the
thieves went to our home and stole convenience checks from the
mailbox. Unfortunately, these checks arrive under a separate
envelope than our regularly occurring statement. We never knew
that our mail had been compromised. When we opened the first
bill that reflected over $3,000 in charges we were stunned.
Being that we had never received these convenience checks they
were never missed. To date these thieves have made purchases
totaling over $12,000. The credit card companies have been of
little or no help in this matter since we continue to receive
these checks even after requesting that none be sent to our
home. Each day we receive a credit card statement we wonder
if any new charges have been made."
