Consumer complaint received 2022-09-06
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: ACIMA CREDIT, LLC (PA)

Let me begin by saying the " debt collection '' heading for this complaint is not really appropriate. It was simply the closest category to my issue. There have been no attempts to collect the debt that I have received thus far. Please read on for a detailed explanation. Should you believe that my complaint is better identified under another category, please feel free to classify as such. 

A couple of weeks ago while attempting to purchase a vehicle, it came to my attention that I was the victim of identity theft. The finance rep for the dealership alerted me that a collection account appeared on XXXX of my XXXX credit reports ( XXXX ) for a company called Acima Leasing. I had never heard of Acima until that moment. After a quick XXXX search, I called Acima 's customer service line. They were not able to locate the account taken out using my info by phone number but were able to find it through my ss #. The account had been opened in XX/XX/XXXX and had used my previous address ( I sold that house in XX/XX/XXXX and moved to a new address in XX/XX/XXXX. ) XXXX & XXXX would have been the months when I was shopping for mortgages so presumably, that is how the identity thief got my info. 

The Acima account had gone into collections in XXXX. I had never received anything from the company to that point. My understanding is that Acima sent the thief merchandise value at roughly {$4500.00} to an address that was not the address listed on the account ( my previous home address ) back in XXXX ( Shouldn't that have raised a red flag by the way? ) The person on the customer service line told me I needed to file a police report. I did that the next morning. My local officer gave me his info including badge number and the Police Report number and said if the company wanted a copy of the report there would be a small fee to obtain it but it was likely they just wanted to see the number to verify a complaint was filed. 

A few days later, before I had forwarded the Police report number, I received an email from XXXX in the fraud department at Acima that read as follows : " On XX/XX/XXXX XXXX was notified that a lease may have fraudulently been opened in your name. Acima takes fraud allegations very seriously. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, please file a police report and attach it in response to this email so we may investigate further. Thank you for your assistance in our investigation. 

Best Regards, XXXX | Acima '' I have to admit, this got me heated. I was already furious with the company for destroying my otherwise immaculate XXXX XXXX XXXX and to find out they expected me to pay for their investigation ( no matter how small the fee ) is exceptionally unfair. I sent a XXXX response. Here are the highlights from that missive : " XXXX : I filed a police report Thursday morning XX/XX/XXXX with my local police department ( Mt. XXXX XXXX in the XXXX, PA area. ) There is a {$15.00} fee to get a copy of it. Please be aware, under no circumstances will I pay for it. Thats on you if you want it. This was your company 's mistake granting an account to a thief. Shouldnt the fact that the merchandise was shipped somewhere other than the address provided by the crook as the home address ( my former home address ) have raised enough red flags to prevent you from accepting his application?! The report number is listed below along with links explaining the MTLPDs process for obtaining a copy. 

To clarify my position on this matter... 
I can not express to you how much it XXXX me off that you fell for this crooks scam to my detriment. If you look at my credit report from XXXX or either of the other credit bureaus, you will see nothing but timely paid bill after timely paid bill after timely paid bill on dozens of accounts over the yearsexcept your companys account. When you look at the reports, it is abundantly clear something is wrong there. In the aggregate the relationships with my many past creditors outline an immaculate credit history. It is obvious when you look at the numbers that I am a victim of identity theft. I have literally never had a late payment in my life, full stop. I do not mess around with my finances and credit and I am very good at managing my money. Make no mistake, I view this as your problem that you have now made mine. Please know that if this matter is not resolved in my favor and quickly ( days, not weeks ) I will waste no time in retaining legal representation and contacting the Consumer Protection Bureau. 

Additionally, should it come to that, I would naturally be seeking full compensation for all legal fees and time spent or rather, wasted on this debacle. 

Let me be clear, I am furious right now and I wholly blame Acima. I feel violated and your company let it happen. Crooks will be crooks but you guys should do better. I had never even heard of your company until last week. 

I have filed the report per your request. If you wish to have a conversation about this matter to get more detail I am willing to help to a point. My cell number is at the bottom of this correspondence. However, DO NOT expect me to jump through any significant hoops ... '' I was disheartened but not wholly surprised by XXXX 's response the following day. It read as follows : " XXXX XXXX, Our system runs a KIQ identifying quiz to establish the authenticity of the inquiry. If someone's identity was stolen, it's likely they would be able to pass this quiz without alerting the system of any discrepancies. 
We appreciate you filing a police report. Unfortunately, we are unable to obtain and/or review a police report off a case number alone. Also, we do not seek out or obtain police reports on behalf of victims. 
We will anticipate the copy of your police report as we can not proceed with the investigation without it. As you state you intend to acquire legal counsel, we will anticipate correspondence from your representation. 


Best Regards, XXXX | Acima '' Obviously, I will not be consulting a lawyer over {$15.00}. I'm sure any attorney would likely recommend I just pay the fee. Obviously, I can afford it. But my position with respect to this matter is based on this simple principle : It is Acima 's investigation. It is Acima 's mistake. The onus should not be on me to prove to them they opened this account in error. On the contrary, they should be bending over backwards to fix this, and furthermore it should not fall to me to pay for or conduct any aspect of Acima 's investigation. 
Also, there are a couple more curious comments in XXXX 's response above : " we are unable to obtain and/or review a police report off a case number alone. '' Not true. I actually included links and copies of the explanation of how to proceed direct from the XXXX 's website in my first email. Surely, they know how to use the internet/email/conventional mail? And they are a lending company so naturally, they have the funds available. They just don't want to be bothered. 

" we do not seek out or obtain police reports on behalf of victims. '' Firstly, Why not? But more importantly, they are victims too. It was Acima 's money that was stolen. The thief just used my identity to defraud them. They seem to think that their hands are clean in this matter. 

" it's likely they would be able to pass this quiz without alerting the system of any discrepancies. '' That is precisely my point when I said you should do better. Frankly, it's a terrible excuse. Basically XXXX has admitted that there are significant flaws in their process. Look, I understand you can't catch all identity thiefs. But they could exhaust every avenue to make sure as few fraudulent accounts make it through as possible. And furthermore, when they do make it through, it's up to Acima to handle the costs and efforts associated to the investigation. 

I understand that it is perhaps a bit silly to make such a stink over this. But it is patently unjust and it is not something that should be abided. I have since gone ahead and paid the fee and obtained the report. I will gladly provide it forthwith to Acima if they would agree to reimburse the fee to me when ultimately deciding their investigation in my favor. If they don't find in my favor, that is when I will be consulting and attorney.