Sorry, Wrong Number
by Dave Ramsey

I’ve been getting calls from a collection agency over an account that’s not mine. In fact, I’ve never had an account with the company they’re talking about. Every time they call they ask for my Social Security number to verify who I am. I haven’t given it to them, but I’m not sure what else to do.

Dear Dave,

I’ve been getting calls from a collection agency over an account that’s not mine. In fact, I’ve never had an account with the company they’re talking about. Every time they call they ask for my Social Security number to verify who I am. I haven’t given it to them, but I’m not sure what else to do.

Anne

Dear Anne,

You’ve done the right thing so far. NEVER give out your personal information over the phone when someone like this calls! If you had opened an account with the company they’re talking about the collector should already have had plenty of “verification information.”

This situation is more than just a pain in the neck. It could cause you more problems down the road if it’s not properly addressed. You may have to get tough and thump them a little. Let them know you mean business when you tell them not to call back, and if they do report them to the Federal Trade Commission.

I’d also consider putting a fraud victim alert on your credit report. It costs nothing except a little of your time to make this happen. You might look into getting identity theft protection insurance, too. It’s really cheap, and it can save you lots of headaches if someone steals your personal information!

Dave