Benn
Eleva,#2Consumer Suggestion
Sun, March 15, 2009
Sorry about that I misread the "employee's" comments. Yes the employee is right. AGAIN I stand corrected.
Benn
Eleva,#3Consumer Suggestion
Sun, March 15, 2009
The old Fingerhut was sold in the early 2000's and the old debts and collection stayed with the old company. So YES if you called the "new" fingerhut in St. Cloud, MN they really do not have any information on the "old" fingerhut company. Yes you will need to send a certified, return receipt requested letter to the post office address that you have but do not expect a reply to this. If you view the BBB website this information will be the same so this "employee" is so full of it and makes me believe that Midland employee's are using this website as a way to decieve the general public. AGAIN, cross check my information by typing in Fingerhut on the BBB or doing a web search and you will see that what I said is the truth and nothing that the "employee" has said is factual.
Rangebird
Virginia,#4UPDATE Employee
Fri, February 20, 2009
As an employee of Fingerhut Direct Marketing, I can tell you that I'm very confused about this one. The current Fingerhut does not have information about former Fingerhut accounts, or any of the old purchase orders. But, the first person that called you should be able to provide you with a copy of the purchase orders that she claims you had. If they are unwilling to do so, I would RUN..not walk to your local police detectives. A collections agency normally does not have that kind of information, the only information that would be provided to them would be your name,address,phone and amount owed to the original account. They WOULD NOT have detailed information about what you ordered or where it was sent to. That information would have been with the original company that supposedly shipped the merchandise. This SMACKS of some kind of fraud, and an educated guess would be it was caused by somebody you know(that's usually how it happens..nice eh?) Family members are usually the first and most reasonable culprits. Ex-Spouses and or their new "significant others" are number one on the hit parade. Than, you have minor children that tend to pull this kind of stunt. The person that did this had access to your personal information, including your ssn, and/or drivers license or government issued i.d. Due to Homeland Security laws, in place since 2001, this information would have been required at the time the credit application was processed. If I were you, I would also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office against the agency that is attempting to collect from you. You may also want to contact the Social Security Adminsitration and request a new Social Security number be assigned to you due to possible fraudulant activity,and breach of personal privacy. I hope this provides you with some tools to work with, and I wish you all the best.
Rangebird
Virginia,#5UPDATE Employee
Fri, February 20, 2009
As an employee of Fingerhut Direct Marketing, I can tell you that I'm very confused about this one. The current Fingerhut does not have information about former Fingerhut accounts, or any of the old purchase orders. But, the first person that called you should be able to provide you with a copy of the purchase orders that she claims you had. If they are unwilling to do so, I would RUN..not walk to your local police detectives. A collections agency normally does not have that kind of information, the only information that would be provided to them would be your name,address,phone and amount owed to the original account. They WOULD NOT have detailed information about what you ordered or where it was sent to. That information would have been with the original company that supposedly shipped the merchandise. This SMACKS of some kind of fraud, and an educated guess would be it was caused by somebody you know(that's usually how it happens..nice eh?) Family members are usually the first and most reasonable culprits. Ex-Spouses and or their new "significant others" are number one on the hit parade. Than, you have minor children that tend to pull this kind of stunt. The person that did this had access to your personal information, including your ssn, and/or drivers license or government issued i.d. Due to Homeland Security laws, in place since 2001, this information would have been required at the time the credit application was processed. If I were you, I would also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office against the agency that is attempting to collect from you. You may also want to contact the Social Security Adminsitration and request a new Social Security number be assigned to you due to possible fraudulant activity,and breach of personal privacy. I hope this provides you with some tools to work with, and I wish you all the best.
Rangebird
Virginia,#6UPDATE Employee
Fri, February 20, 2009
As an employee of Fingerhut Direct Marketing, I can tell you that I'm very confused about this one. The current Fingerhut does not have information about former Fingerhut accounts, or any of the old purchase orders. But, the first person that called you should be able to provide you with a copy of the purchase orders that she claims you had. If they are unwilling to do so, I would RUN..not walk to your local police detectives. A collections agency normally does not have that kind of information, the only information that would be provided to them would be your name,address,phone and amount owed to the original account. They WOULD NOT have detailed information about what you ordered or where it was sent to. That information would have been with the original company that supposedly shipped the merchandise. This SMACKS of some kind of fraud, and an educated guess would be it was caused by somebody you know(that's usually how it happens..nice eh?) Family members are usually the first and most reasonable culprits. Ex-Spouses and or their new "significant others" are number one on the hit parade. Than, you have minor children that tend to pull this kind of stunt. The person that did this had access to your personal information, including your ssn, and/or drivers license or government issued i.d. Due to Homeland Security laws, in place since 2001, this information would have been required at the time the credit application was processed. If I were you, I would also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office against the agency that is attempting to collect from you. You may also want to contact the Social Security Adminsitration and request a new Social Security number be assigned to you due to possible fraudulant activity,and breach of personal privacy. I hope this provides you with some tools to work with, and I wish you all the best.
Rangebird
Virginia,#7UPDATE Employee
Fri, February 20, 2009
As an employee of Fingerhut Direct Marketing, I can tell you that I'm very confused about this one. The current Fingerhut does not have information about former Fingerhut accounts, or any of the old purchase orders. But, the first person that called you should be able to provide you with a copy of the purchase orders that she claims you had. If they are unwilling to do so, I would RUN..not walk to your local police detectives. A collections agency normally does not have that kind of information, the only information that would be provided to them would be your name,address,phone and amount owed to the original account. They WOULD NOT have detailed information about what you ordered or where it was sent to. That information would have been with the original company that supposedly shipped the merchandise. This SMACKS of some kind of fraud, and an educated guess would be it was caused by somebody you know(that's usually how it happens..nice eh?) Family members are usually the first and most reasonable culprits. Ex-Spouses and or their new "significant others" are number one on the hit parade. Than, you have minor children that tend to pull this kind of stunt. The person that did this had access to your personal information, including your ssn, and/or drivers license or government issued i.d. Due to Homeland Security laws, in place since 2001, this information would have been required at the time the credit application was processed. If I were you, I would also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office against the agency that is attempting to collect from you. You may also want to contact the Social Security Adminsitration and request a new Social Security number be assigned to you due to possible fraudulant activity,and breach of personal privacy. I hope this provides you with some tools to work with, and I wish you all the best.
Notindebt
Lakewood,#8Consumer Suggestion
Sat, September 20, 2008
Donna - I am currently dealing with a very frustrating situation concerning Midland Credit Management. They are coming after me for a debt that was paid many years ago. Lucky for me I have proof the debt was paid and have done extensive research and gotten good advice on how to handle this. So I'll share the advice and things I know that can hopefully help you. Check out Bud Hibbs' web site. You can google Midland Credit Management and find it. You can email him for free assistance. You need to send Midland Credit Management a debt validation letter. Google debt validation letter for good examples of exactly how to word the letter. You need to send the letter certified mail receipt requested. Midland Credit Management has to prove you owe the debt - that means a signed contract with the original creditor, itemized statements ect. Do not sign any letters you send them - who knows where your signature could end up! If Midland Credit Management cannot validate the debt they cannot legally report it to the credit reporting agencies and they have violated the FCRA. Bud Hibbs suggested I look into a consumer attorney and you can find one by going to www.naca.net. I called several of the law firms listed on the site today and some even offer free consultations (I'm in Denver). What Midland Credit Management is doing is not legal and there are fines for violating the FCRA - so you could get money from them. Which is why it's best to consult a lawyer. You can get started on your own by sending the debt validation letter. Keep a copy of it and all correspondence with Midland. Do everything in writing - do NOT have any phone converstions with them and keep copies of everything! If this debt is not yours they will not be able to validate it and you have legal rights!!! Midland hired a law firm that served me with a court summons on the debt I don't owe and when I told that to a consumer law firm today they felt I could handle it on my own since I have proof the debt was paid......until I mentioned that Midland had put a negative remark on my credit report. Then they said I would need a lawyer to help get that off my credit report. The costs of the lawyer will come out of the fine that Midland owes me for violating the FCRA. So I shouldn't be out any money to fight this and win!! I can't say here what I really think of Midland Credit Management except that they do things that are not legal and hope that the average consumer is not informed about their rights and the law. Trust me when I say I know how stressful this is - I was a wreck when I was served with a court summons and the thought of having to pay a debt I don't owe!! You have legal rights and can win - fight this!!! Good luck!