Has anything ever happened to you that made you realize that not all people are like you?
That some people have no inhibitions about assuming someone else’s identity for their own gain. It would never have occurred to me, but as you can imagine, I’ve had a rude awakening.
If you’ve read any of my blog posts before, you know there’s a story coming now. So grab a hot beverage and get ready for the tea.
Story Time
When you move from one place to another, it can take a while for your letters to get forwarded to your new home, so they still go to your old address. This was the case when I moved out of my old home.
The person who moved in after me, whom I assumed was a woman, had the audacity to open my mail and use my details to open monthly accounts with retailers to get goods that they later stopped paying for.
I don’t remember exactly what prompted me to check my credit report, but at that moment I realized that some people have no conscience.
The Debt Collector
I managed to clear the accounts from my report, but the sticking point came a few years later when I received a letter from a debt collector demanding payment for a Vodafone account that had been opened at my old address in October 2016. It’s important to remember that I moved out of this address in April 2016 and have never had a Vodafone account. At this rate, I don’t know if I ever will.
Although I informed the debt collector that it was identity theft and reported it to Action Fraud, they insisted that I was responsible for the payment. They sent me several letters claiming I had opened an account at the store and accused me of using several aliases.
When I contacted Action Fraud, they advised me that as a victim of identity theft, Vodafone was responsible for the debt rather than myself. They said I should contact the Financial Service Ombudsman (FSO) if the debt collector continued to harass me.
Contacting FSO
I did just that, but the debt collector told the ombudsman that they had no jurisdiction because I wasn’t the collector’s customer, Vodafone was. Although the FSO couldn’t resolve the matter for this reason, it was very helpful in telling me what to do next.
I was to complain to Vodafone and if the response was negative, I could refer the matter to FSO again, this time with a complaint about Vodafone rather than the debt collector or a complaint to Ofcom.
I submitted a complaint to Vodafone and to my relief the outcome was positive. They investigated the account and concluded that it had indeed been opened fraudulently and closed it.
I thought to myself, why didn’t I contact them straight away instead of going round in circles with the debt collection agency? Or better yet, why didn’t the debt collector advise me to contact Vodafone when I spoke to them about the identity theft?
I guess all that matters now is that I got there in the end.
A Little Encouragement
I said all this to say that people who commit such seemingly insignificant offenses have no idea how much stress and impact it has on the victim as they try to sort out and undo what the offender has done.
Those who are going through a similar situation or will in the future aren’t alone. Fight all the way to the relevant ombudsman if you have to, but whatever you do, don’t let a debt collector bully you into paying a criminal’s debt. period!
And with that, let me leave you with this:
Rita Yvonne
In every crime committed against you lies an opportunity for growth. Be it through knowledge acquisition or self-improvement. Even if it starts negatively, you can end it positively.
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