Debt Collector on Fraudulent Mobile Account

Huge Duck on 27/03/2020 - 18:11

Hello,

I've received a demand notice from a debt collecting demanding payment of around $1.5k for a debt handed over from Vodafone, due the same day.

Called up Vodafone and they've confirmed there was an account in my name, which closed in Dec 2018.

They had used my full name and licence number.

The address wasn't one I'd ever lived at, and just a few streets up the road. The phone number is one I've never heard of and disconnected when I tried to call.

Vodafone customer support suggested raising an identity fraud claim, which requires a police report. So I will be doing both of those immediately.

I'll also get a new drivers licence (with new number).

Should I be contacting the debt collectors to inform them I've received the demand and raised it as fraud at this point?
Anything else I should do at this point?

Obviously want to prove this is not my debt and get this cleared asap without hurting credit or anything.

Cheers!

Financial

Comments

  • HighAndDry on 27/03/2020 - 18:19
    +9

    The address wasn't one I'd ever lived at, and just a few streets up the road.

    Looks like your neighbour went through your mail or your trash for your details.

    This is the relevant portion of the ACCC/ASIC debt collectors guide:

    https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/debt-collection-guideli…

    Basically at the same time as providing the police report to Vodafone, also write to the debt collector with the same information and stating that the debt was not incurred by you and is currently the subject of a police investigation.

    The point is to raise a genuine dispute as to the validity of the debt, which freezes debt collection activity.

    • outlander on 27/03/2020 - 20:55
      +5

      Who has their drivers license details in the trash?

      I think it's more likely to have come from an employee at any one of the various companies that ask for all your personal information, and promise that 'it will be kept safe and confidential' while simultaneously running an IT department on a shoestring budget and offshoring everything they can.

    • Zachary on 27/03/2020 - 22:59
      -1

      Looks like your neighbour went through your mail or your trash for your details.

      Damn, better lock our bins then….

  • trustnoone on 27/03/2020 - 19:55
    +5

    Obviously want to prove this is not my debt and get this cleared asap without hurting credit or anything.

    Probably worth checking your credit rating to see if you've been hit with anything in the meantime (may be other things there). DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT pay anything to the debt collector, they may ask you to pay a small amount to deal with later, DO NOT DO IT apparently (and I may be wrong here as I'm not a lawyer), this can be used to say you're taking responsibility for the debt (because you paid).

    Do as the person above said, get a police report and note that the debt is not yours.

    You may also want to look at a commonwealth victims certificate: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/data-breaches/identity-fraud…

  • sim777 on 27/03/2020 - 22:10

    Get a police report and stat dec form signed. Send to debt collection company they will send the account back to Vodafone and get it sorted/erased. Same thing happened to me - had a credit card account with 3 different banks that I had to close.

  • BuyoTheCat on 27/03/2020 - 23:51

    They could have got some detail from stealing your mail

  • Huge Duck on 28/03/2020 - 14:46

    Thanks for the all the advice! Will follow-up with these now.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join