Consumer complaint received 2018-05-18
Company: TCF NATIONAL BANK
State: FL
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Auto debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt was result of identity theft

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX three luxury cars were purchased without my consent, using my information as well as falsified documents. I reported the incident to the original lender and ( at personal expense ) had the vehicles that were purchased using my information returned to the dealership from which they were purchased on a flat bed truck. I explained the situation to the dealership owner and numerous staff members, none of whom assisted me. I filed a police report with the XXXX Police Department Economic Crimes Unit. I answered countless questions and spent hours on the phone talking to these banks daily. I have disputed these debts numerous times with all three credit bureaus and will continue to do so until the situation is resolved. One lender responded to the situation and forced the dealer to buy back the vehicle involved in their transaction, in XX/XX/XXXX. At this point in time the lenders have recovered the two remaining cars and have sold them at auction. They and their collection agencies have been harassing me since XX/XX/XXXX. I have made every attempt within reason to cooperate with the lenders, but the fact remains that the lenders continue to make my life difficult. Not only has this incident ruined my credit, but I have spent countless hours on phone calls that happen, at all hours of the day. I have gotten calls as early as XXXX and as late as XXXX. The lenders ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX in particular ) have searched my XXXX  account, contacted me at work, spoken to my employees, and even to my clients. Not to be outdone, XXXX XXXX 's collection agency has not been any better. They recently somehow found out I was working as a XXXX  at a local XXXX XXXX XXXX and called the store, asking one of my employees, an XXXX year old girl, if she knew anything about the situation. I was SHOCKED. On my most recent conversation with XXXX XXXX 's collection agency, after being harassed for nearly two years, I explained my story once again, I explain the financial difficulty identity theft has put me through and I asked if, in the interest of putting this behind me and removing the stain from my credit report so that I could afford to go to XXXX  school, they would consider removing this debt from my name if I gave the the little money I did have saved as payment in full for the fraudulent debt, along with my tax returns, the police report information I filed, and bank account statements to validate my story to them. I was told that I would hear back from the representative the following day. I received a phone call from a man who claimed to be his manager about an hour later cursing at me and telling me that he was sure based upon the searches they had done about me online they believe I can and should afford to pay much more than that. He actually had the audacity to suggest that I would somehow go to jail for not paying them in full that day.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation