Consumer complaint received 2018-07-23
Company: ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC.
State: HI
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Credit card debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt was result of identity theft

Complaint:
I received a letter/notice in the mail from XXXX XXXX XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. The letter stated that they have purchased a debt from XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX. and that I owe {$610.00} or they will take legal actions against me for that amount. I never had a credit account with XXXX XXXX XXXX  so I called the number provided and informed them of this. I informed XXXX XXXX that I never applied for credit from said bank and they informed me that this account was opened on XX/XX/XXXX. I informed to them via phone that I have been victim of identity fraud since I was not aware of this account. They said ( OK ) and that was the end of our call. I ordered my free annual credit report after that call and noticed that on all three reports that I had negative comments on all three credit reports. All three showed that this XXXX XXXX account was sold to collections, ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) and that XXXX XXXX XXXX listed it as ( Charged Off ). 
I wrote to XXXX XXXX XXXX to variable this account to be mine and they mail me a billing statement with my printed name and address as proof but nothing with my signed signature. This was dated XX/XX/XXXX. I have written several letters to XXXX XXXX XXXX asking for something with my signature and they wanted proof that this was indeed a cause of identity fraud by mailing a police report to them. I was unaware my identity was being used until this year when I got another collection letter from XXXX XXXX XXXX. They informed me it will go on my credit report and hurt me negatively if I just don't go ahead and pay and make a payment arrangement so that it would not hurt my credit. I made a goodwill gesture to XXXX XXXX XXXX if I could pay 10 percent of what they said is owed. I never got a response back and the negative remarks are still on all three of my credit reports. I have written letters to the credit brueru, the creditors and to the collection agencies to correct this problem and still nothing is being done. I contacted XXXX about this and they are having a fraud team look into my case. My credit score dropped 25 points with XXXX and what caught my attention was that on XX/XX/XXXX, I purchased a XXXX vacuum cleaner and was pretty much pressured into this purchase so that I could just get rid of them. They used XXXX XXXX as the lender but the sale persons got all of my personal information about me from birth date, SAN, places I have lived and so on. A week has passed and from mid XX/XX/XXXX to the end of XX/XX/XXXX, my credit report from this year shows anywhere from 10 to 15 hard inquires on each of my credit report. I had a charge card with XXXX, XXXX. but fraudulent charges were made in XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX in which I disputed with XXXX. I closed that account in XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX and had a fraud alert placed on my credit reports. I was unaware of having two charge cards in my name opened back in XX/XX/XXXX until I received that letter from XXXX XXXX XXXX and got my free credit report after I received that legal notice in the mail. I have tried to work with Midland and even offered 10 percent of a debt that is not mine so that my credit score would not be effective. XXXX  is now having their fraud team to investigate my credit problem of identity theft and fraud. If I had known 2 years ago that my identity was stolen, I would have made a police report back then. I have been trying to work with Midland but it seems to me that they do not care if someone identity was stolen or not just as long they are paid the full amount of the debt in question.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief