My mother received a collections letter for a car she does not own?

Question

my mother has never had a car and she just received a letter from a company representing Honda, for not paying... but my mother doesnt have a car. Called the 1800 and they say the loan is in her name and they cant help me, told me to call Honda, what Honda we dont even know what the bill is about? we know they the payoff is 22k... where do we go from here?

Answer 1

I'd say start with a credit check in your mother's name, her local bank, and possibly the police and an attorney to find out your options. It sounds like your mother's identity may have been swiped and someone is creating debts in her name. You get on free report from each of the 3 credit companies a year and if you spread them out you can check it 3 times for free thru out the year. In your case though I would pay for a rush service to find out where the problem is. If the loan for the car is in her name it should show up on one of these reports.

The links below go into more detail about the steps you need to take. I would not delay. It is better to believe someone took your identity and do all you can to prevent it from continuing and be wrong then to let it go any further. the longer it goes on the more problems it creates. Good Luck

Answer 2

Like the other guy said, it could be identity theft. First get a credit report to see if the car appears on it. If it doesn't then they got the wrong person. If it does then you guys are in a world of well you know. Take that credit report and go the the bank or call the bank that approved the loan. It could be a bank from Honda. See what they can do. Since its your account it should say the sate that the loan was given the dealership and what not. Keep collecting information. If they are no help, then go to the local authorities. Banks and big companies are notoriously bad at not believing what you say. A lot of times they need some persuation like the law to make them see things clearly.

Once everything is resolve you will still have to keep pushing because your credit might not be cleared. Don't expect them to do the work for you.

Hopefully, this is all a misunderstanding because clearing your name from identity theft is not a straight forward process.

Answer 3

The collection agency should be able to give you contact information. Perhaps you can call back and speak to a supervisor. Your mother probably just got mixed up with someone else with a similar name. If the agency refuses to help you, contact Honda Financial. You can get contact information based on your location off their website: http://www.hondafinancialservices.com/cust_service/cs_contact_info_results.asp?page=bpn

Did she sign for someone else to get the car? She could be a victim of identity theft. You should contact the three credit bureaus and ask for help. There should also be local debt assistance agency in your phone book under "government services" and they might be able to help you.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Sounds like identity theft to me. You need to get a copy of your Moms credit report A.S.A.P. and find out if this loan is in her name and when it was opened. Then you will have something to go on. You will most likely have to file a report with the police and get your State Attorney Generals office involved before it's all over.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Start with the credit bureaus (Equifax or Experion). Request a copy of her credit report. It's possible she is a victim of identity theft.

If the car loan is listed in her name, write a letter to the bureau contesting the information. File a police report about theft of her credit information.

Answer 6

She should run a credit report, and if there is activity on there that is not hers, she should report it to the police, and the credit reporting agency.

Another possibility is they tried to find the debtor and found your mother's address - if your mother has a common name, and lives in a similar area to the debtor, they might have assumed they found the correct person and changed the address of the file.