Consumer complaint received 2024-06-14 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Written notification about debt — Didn't receive notice of right to dispute
Company: LJ Ross Associates
State: MI

Complaint narrative:
The debt collection company, LJ Ross Associates first placed the debt onto my credit report for XXXX XXXX, to my knowledge, around XXXX. Once I was alerted that this account posted to my credit profile, I contacted XXXX to alert them that I was a victim or identity theft, and that the account LJ Ross was reporting on, was not valid. After sending a police report, FTC report and proof of identity, as well as proof that the apartment in which the utility originated from was also the product of identity theft, XXXX investigated and ultimately found the account to be identity theft, The account by LJ Ross Associates was subsequently removed on XX/XX/XXXX. In accordance with the consumer laws, XXXX did provide LJ Ross Associates all of the information I sent in in regards to the identity theft dispute and they could not product any verifying information that would indicate the account was authorized by me. Now as of XX/XX/XXXX, this same company, LJ Ross Associates has re-reported the very same debt on behalf of consumers energy with the same balance of {$250.00}, but in order to falsely have the debt put back onto XXXX, they created a new account number and falsely stated that the account was opened as of XX/XX/XXXX and went into collections on XX/XX/XXXX. Being that they have already been in dispute with me in XXXX and received police reports and other information, they knew that the debt was not created this year, and yet they fraudulently provided that information to XXXX as a way to coerce me into paying by affecting my credit, which dropped XXXX points and resulted in my being denied housing by an apartment because of this blatant falsification. In addition to this all, LJ Ross Associates has not once sent me a letter to give me the opportunity to verify of dispute the account. Not in XXXX and not again in XXXX. They have not and will not be able to provide any proof showing they communicated with me in any way in order to verify the accuracy of the data or allow me, under my rights as a consumer, the right to dispute the data with them. I have since contacted XXXX again to express what has happened but was told that since LJ Ross Associates used a new account number, XXXX would be unable to block the information because it appears to be a new account. I contacted the original creditor, consumers energy and have verified with them that no new account was opened as of XX/XX/XXXX, or any other time, in my name at any address as LJ Ross Associates has asserted. This was checked by XXXX representatives. They stated they only have record in their whole system with my name being attached to the original account opened in XXXX, that I found out about in XXXX, and disputed. So again, LJ Ross Associates has taken several fraudulently and illegal tactics to falsify data, hide data, and harm my credit profile in hopes of making me feel hopeless enough to pay them for the fraudulent account. I have sent LJ Ross Associates a certified letter detailing what Ive described here, as well as proofs of my assertions, with much more proof available.

Company public response: Company disputes the facts presented in the complaint
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation