Consumer complaint received 2020-11-17
Company: TCF NATIONAL BANK
State: OH
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Information belongs to someone else

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX I first noticed a fraudulent account appearing on my XXXX  credit report. This fraudulent account originated with TCF Bank and had already been sent to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for debt collection for {$250.00}. I disputed this through XXXX on or before XX/XX/XXXX and was unsuccessful in having anything changed and received no useful feedback other than the fact that nothing changed. I contacted TCF Bank directly and was informed I could only work with XXXX XXXX XXXX. I contacted Merchants in XX/XX/XXXX, received their fraud paperwork on XX/XX/XXXX, and mailed this information back to them on XX/XX/XXXX. I received their follow-up dated XX/XX/XXXX stating they can not verify that this is fraud. Their follow-up included the original TCF account agreement which appeared to have a multitude of problems : An address in XXXX which does not appear to exist, a signature that does not match mine, a handwritten date next to the signature that anyone who knows me would know is not my writing ( I make an 8 with two circle for some odd reason ), a different handwritten date on the second page that also does not match my writing ( I never use cursive except for my signature, so I would never have written a cursive XXXX ). I had no recourse other than going back directly to TCF. In XX/XX/XXXX I mailed a notarized letter to TCF explaining the fraudulent account, asked a series of questions intended to help me prove my lack of involvement with this account, and also included a police report. I assumed that this letter had not been acted upon based on COVID closures, and did not follow up until XX/XX/XXXX. I contacted TCF on XX/XX/XXXX, explained the situation again, and was told I would be mailed fraud paperwork that I should receive in two weeks. I explicitly asked if my letter had been received and TCF declined to answer that question. I called TCF again on XX/XX/XXXX after having not received their fraud paperwork. They again told me I would received fraud paperwork in a few weeks, and again refused to confirm or deny that my letter and paperwork had been received. I tried asking detailed questions about this account in order to help myself, but was now being told they couldn't tell me anything since it wasn't really my account. So now I'm stuck with a fraudulent debt collection on my credit report and absolutely no recourse and no ability to help TCF connect the dots because they can't ( or don't want to ) answer any of my questions regarding the account that was opened with my SS #. On XX/XX/XXXX I called TCF yet again after still not receiving any paperwork. This time I asked how I was supposed to help clear this up if TCF refused to cooperate. I questioned if I should simply contact the CFPB, and I was quickly disconnected. I will be submitting the letter that I sent to TCF back in XX/XX/XXXX. As this letter indicates, I live nowhere near any TCF location, assuming this account was opened in person I can have my employer attest to my presence at work in Ohio on the day the account was opened, and most importantly, this debt is simply not consistent with any other activity in the full history of my credit report. I don't know where else to turn. XXXX simply wants paid and has no incentive to investigate, TCF is clearly not interested in helping, and the XXXX  " investigation '' took less time than I'm taking submitting this complaint. Please help.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation