What should I do about a neighbor who is using my address/phone to sign up for credit?

Update! Before you all freak out (and I'm very touched, btw), this person most likely used me as a reference to get credit, and now the collectors are using a reverse lookup/skip trace to track her down. Thanks everyone!


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Here's the situation: A woman in my building has obviously used my phone number to sign up for credit, because I'm getting calls from collectors asking for her. They have my address and phone number, but her name. There haven't been any weird issues with my accounts, so I don't think she's stolen my identity or anything. But the calls are annoying.

What do you all think I should do? I don't want to tell the collectors that I know who they're looking for and where she can be found, but I'm worried that she might take this a step further.

eom

I'd really want to get to the bottom of this PDQ if I were you!

Tell them everything.

They should know if she is breaking the law or not.

...is against the law EVERYWHERE.

Only using an incorrect address.

Also, I have not seen anything weird on my accounts.

It was really odd. We live in Kansas City (2 state area) and he was on the MO side and wanted a broker's license in KS. So he asked to use our address and we said no. (Mainly because we barely knew the guy.)

But he used our address anyway. So I took his mail to the post office and asked what to do about it. They said just put all the mail he gets back in our mailbox with a "not at this address" note on it. I told them the whole story, that I was sure he had deliberately used our address. But they didn't say it was illegal. Seems like they would have if it was.

She needs to be called on it, and she needs to be reported, not only to the creditors, but to the cops.

What she is doing is illegal!

The creditors are the people that need to take her name off everything........but they may ask for a police report.

calling all the numbers in our building to try to find her.

You need to first change your phone number and alert the fraud squad at the phone company that this has happened.

Second, you need to alert the police and the post office that someone else is using your address for credit fraud. Don't give her any more dunning letters or bills. Turn them into the cops and into the post office.

This woman is going to be in a world of hurt because she didn't want to deal with inconvenient phone calls from creditors.

If this person is a friend, you don't need friends like that. Trust me, you need to cut her loose NOW before she does steal your entire identity.

You mention that she hasn't recieved credit using your information or stolen your identity.

However, if she DOES. It will take alot longer to sort it all out then than it will to sort it out now.

Good luck.

The callers may be using a reverse directory to get the phone number from the address. I get calls for the previous owner of my house (I've been here 6 years) even though the phone number never did belong to the previous owner. At work I've gotten calls for a different business that is in our building, but in a different suite number. Obviously they got our phone number by looking up the address of the other business.

Someone was doing this to me, I'd sure as hell tell them.

trying to find someone who knows her or can give more info about her.

Whatever else happens, at least you reported this, and your (lack thereof) involvement in this will be documented. A great CYA method at any rate.

at a collection agency (worst job evah btw) and skip tracing is common practice but usually or at least back in the old days i'd call a neighbor and ask them if they could leave a message for me, i never called a neighbors home saying i knew the debtor lived there.

She isn't using your name.
Let me tell you what happened to me.
A friend of mine went to one of those shady "Loan" places.
She listed me a personal reference. She got behind on her payments and they started calling ME.
I'd find out a little bit more before you start prosecuting her.
It could be the shady practices of the loan companies she is dealing with.
All you have to do is tell them that she doesn't live there and do NOT call your number again.
They CANNOT make THEIR problem, your problem.

I have been telling them that I have no idea who they're trying to reach.

or you will consult an attorney for harassment. It is not your debt. It is NOT your responsibility.
I got a new cell phone number a year ago and since this is a relatively small area, I knew (of) the guy that had it.
I had a bail bondsmen, loan companies, and some place out of Tulsa keep calling every day looking for this guy UNTIL I told them I would consult an attorney.
I haven't got a call from these places since.

It's a way they try to find people who don't answer their phone, etc. I once got calls from a collection agency for my sister (maybe she'd put my name on the credit app) and I also had a friend with credit problems whose neighbors mentioned to him that they'd gotten calls for him. It's a nuisance and you should tell the company that you aren't responsible for the person they're trying to reach but it may not be outright identity theft.

Chances are this woman is using you as a reference. I don't see this as identity theft at all. Maybe you should just go talk to her about it.

On a side note, I started getting calls from a collection agency looking for my son's college roommates. My son had nothing to do with the debt. After several calls, and several explanations to them that I had no clue where to find these guys, I let them have it.

I told them to quit calling, that it was too bad they lent money to a couple deadbeats, but it was their problem, not mine. I also told them what I thought of their trolling/preying practices on eighteen year olds who were away from home for the first time.

No more calls.

They will do some research and find a neighbor of the debtor they are trying to get money from if they are unable to get any results from the debtor. These vultures will try anything whether it is legal or not. To them the end justifies the means. One called me a few months ago trying to get money from the kid who lives across the street from me. I told the asshole on the phone what I thought of him and the sleazy outfit he worked for.

do. just using our address and phone no was not a crime in itself. I just started writing this person does not live here on the envelopes and started telling the loan company the same thing and finally they quit sending mail and calling but I always worry about the police getting the addy wrong when they come to bust them for dealing drugs but that happened a couple weeks ago and they didn't come to my house so maybe that fear was unfounded. I talked to our chief of police too and he told me pretty much what the da said. so good luck with this

I don't know enough facts about your situation to say whether anyone committed a crime, but you need to see a lawyer and talk to the DA.

It works for me.

Take the mail and write "Addressee Not Known" on it and stick it back in the mail box.

someone put my name and address on someone else's stolen checks. I got all of the nastygrams saying the checks had bounced. I filed a police report and used that to notify all of the stiffed companies.