Member Submission: Identity Theft Warning
The following came in from a member:
Today I got the 7th of untold collection agency notices that are 100% real, sent to my address but with someone else’s name on it.
I called the sheriff’s office (not the number on the letter) and they confirmed the letter is real and they are a real collection agency who collects fines for the courts here in Florida for numerous counties. Further they stated criminals are thwarting payment by using people on the registry’s addresses to stall being caught.
They told me to call the lawyers office tomorrow and let them know that person has never lived here otherwise in the future, someone with a warranty could show up at my door.
This nonsense has got to stop.
“They told me to call the lawyers office tomorrow…” What lawyers office? Your, the county’s, or a lawyer representing the collections people? Please elaborate. Thanks.
The lawyers on the letter. They are also a HUGE Nationwide court fees and traffic fine enforcer for several states court systems. I verified with several local Sheriff’s departments and they use this agency to collect fines instead.
Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott
Perdue – Court Collections
Some have marked them online as a scam but they are 100% legit. Even though I won’t be held liable for that person’s fines, She used my address so if a warrant is issued for her and I come home one day and see a bunch of Deputies in my driveway, my first thought would be I have warrant for registry violations when they are looking for her.
Several Florida counties use them and the law firm has 11 locations around the U.S including Florida.
I spent all day today trying to get my address off of there system but they are so busy no one ever answered the phone so I marked it as ” Never at this address” and dropped in back in the mailbox.
Making the registry public is what has made this possible. Just another reason to do away with this useless, waste of money program.
We’re easy prey for scams, house fires, shootings, abuse, neglect, vigilantism, terrorism and now identity theft. Only because of the marginalization list! We’re considered throw-away and expendables, so don’t expect anything but feigned concern from the COPS.
I have no idea what this story is about. If you are not the person on the collection notice, what is the problem? Put it in the mailbox and put “not here” on it for forwarding…
Because the people who are wanted for non payment of traffic fines and have arrest warrants are using addresses of registrants. When the warrant is issued, they can kick in your door looking for the person.
Hope that clears it up.
That person has never lived here and just marking not at this address does not fix it as someone who is wanted could do that and that does not make the warrants go away. This girl / lady so far has no warrants yet but verified she has numerous outstanding tickets and never showed up for court. She gave the courts my address.
I forgot to add, like you, about 6 months ago when I got the first letter with someone else’s name on it, thought it was just a mistake or a scam. After getting 7 of these over the course of 6 months with 3 different people’s cases all with my address and their name, I realized this was serious.
After getting this one , the 4th different person’s name and real case and real collections for criminal court cases, I realized the registry was being used to come up with addresses to give the courts to buy them some time to split.
So after this week contacting several jurisdictions that use that law office as their collection agency, they confirmed the cases, names, and collection letters were legit and that I was not the first person all over the U.S on the registries to contact either law enforcement or the collection agency to report that their addresses were used without their permission by someone they did not know as a diversion to catching them.
Again, if law enforcement sees I am a convicted felon and they think I am harboring a fugitive , wanted person ( Once the court fines, tickets and judgements go delinquent a warrant can and often will be issued for an arrest. ) Do not know about you but why would any of us want more heat on us? Remember if we are arrested for any reason, even if dismissed IE: I was not their intended target, the law is clear, ANY arrest can make us not eligible for being taken off registry.
There is absolutely no way they could arrest you for something that someone else has done. All you need to do is present your ID and the case is closed. Unless they have proof positive that the person on the warrant lives at your address, they can not just come and kick in your door. If they do, you would have a good case against them in a Civil court of law!
Hum, guess you never watch the news. Innocent people all the time are slammed to the ground and detained with their jaw broken when they fall and when you insist they have the wrong guy, you get kicked in the head.
I use to work in law enforcement and things have actually gotten worse than when I worked there. Made me sick then and even more so now. A bunch of power hungry rednecks wanting to prove they are macho.
And regardless, if a judge granted a search warrant on my home based on law enforcement believing this person lived here since they were getting mail here, I could not stop them. And what are all the neighbors going to think when they see my house getting raided? That I had porn or something?
On top of that, debt collectors are more vicious than cops. They will sit in your driveway and refuse to move until the person on the bill comes to speak with them
AND you are forgetting, this is not haverty’s furniture they owe but the local or state court fines from tickets, probation cost etc. so they have the backing of the courts to collect these funds at almost any cost. Spend $2,5000 to collect $750 ?
Sounds like someone at the collection agency is doing this (which would be great because you could sue) to fill in blanks or 2 a crime ring filling out credit apps with stolen identities and using SOs addresses…hardly believe debtors get together at Starbucks and conspire to run up debt in their own names and use SO address or they call to change their address so rent furniture can’t find the furniture.
Also, maybe who ever is selling the debt or collection is doing this to fill in blanks or selling unsalvageable debt.
The collection agency is a legit law office. Not saying there are not dishonest lawyers but this is a huge firm who is not going to risk having every single lawyers license revoked by pulling a scam. I am fairly certain the people who are failing to pay are the ones using false addresses.
When I worked in law enforcement, people would get out of prison and give an address where they were going to be staying. When probation went by to verify the address, no one there had ever heard of that person.
The scam would be if MY name were on the bill which it is not, several debters are using my address as where to send their bills. Not sure why I was randomly chosen out of the 1000s on the registry but either way, it only affects me if law enforcement or debt agents start showing up at my door not believing I am not harboring that person(s)
Wow!!!
Another OUTSTANDING use for the useless Registry!!!!