Fake debt; how did they get my birth name?!

That's pretty weird, all right... the only way I can think of that this might have happened is some kind of identity theft, but even that explanation sounds pretty far-fetched.

In any event, I'd recommend sending them a letter telling them that there is no one at your address by the name given on the letter you received and that you know nothing about the debt, all of which is perfectly true. (Don't volunteer any information about your birth name; that's none of their business.) Wait a little while, say two or three months, then check your credit reports to see whether the alleged "bad debt" is listed there, and if it is, dispute it with the credit reporting agencies.

I'm not a lawyer or anything, but a call to your local police department might be a good idea as well. Explain the situation to them and tell them that you're concerned that there may be some kind of criminal activity going on. As it happens, my own name was changed when I was about four years old (due to my mother getting married), and if I got a letter at my home address with that name on it, I'd be pretty worried.

They are good at finding information; since adoptions are a matter of public record (I think), it is possible they just looked through court documents.

If you know that you have never used that name to apply for or obtain credit, you should be safe. They would have to provide evidence documenting the transaction, which doesn't exist.

My thoughts are, that in your validation letter you can say "OLD NAME and NEW NAME are the same person by reason of adoption." and then continue with your argument, dispute the debt and request verification of it.

First off handle the stupid letter from AA and send them a DV letter (you can find the template on my blog site) next you need to check your credit reports and make sure that everything on them is status quo, you also may need to put a fraud alert on them. I don't know the schematics of your adoption but would someone from your birth family have this information, would they use it? Just some suggestions, keep posting and good luck

There is a way collection agencies can find out the name you were born with, the name you got changed to, got married with and died with. And not just you in particular, they can do that with anyone who has a social security number.

I would send them a validation letter and then start pulling all of your credit reports. You can go to annulalcredit report .com. There you can get one free credit report from each agency per year.

Collection agencies do not pull names out of thin air. They sometimes send things to the wrong person but there is always a slight fact in the mix like a name, old address or old phone number.

If you find anyhting irregular on your credit reports you should highly consider going to the police department and filing an id theft and fraud report. This is somehting you are going to need to help combat things you don't recognise on your credit report.

I thought adoption records were sealed and confidential how would these CA get that information?

I thought that certain adoption records were sealed also. You definitely have rights, but it sounds like you might need some legal advice. Have you contacted the company yet? I can understand how it would make you feel creepy, but try not too. There is probably a very logical explanation. Good Luck!

Most adoption papers become unsealed, I think, on the 18th birthday or sometimes before.

My best guess for the first poster is that someone got ahold of that information.

My brother and sister were adopted on the early 60's and their adoption records are sealed. My brother can't get anywhere all he knows is the hospital he was born and the city where he was born

This is one of the problems with CA's. They will go to great lengths to get information. I know of a lady that lived in NY and was in hiding from her abusive spouse and the collector wasn't getting anywhere with her, he called the abusive spouse. When the spouse stated that he was looking for her also, the collector had no problem giving the address of where she was at, and low and behold, she is now deceased. So much for the rights of the debtor. Of course it was one of the pond scum collection agencies.

Per Tammy's note; that is one of the main reasons they passed the Graham-Leach-Bliley Privacy Act and the Driver's Privacy Protection Act. They passed those after some stalker called the DMV and got some lady's address. He killed her, and they later found out the state gave her address to the killer.

Hey Chels,

You can probably thank the credit bureau for giving out your private information.

If a collector makes up a fake debt all they have to do is call the bureau and lie about an apparent debt and the bureau hands over your info! Its that simple. This has happened to me before.

The collector is hoping that youll just pay the fake debt so he/she can cash in on some commission.
Im surprised that they claimed 580$, usually they claim in the 30s or 50s becuase the fraud victims will generally pay it just to get the bogus negative mark that they put on your credit history. They are well aware of the fact that thier lies affect a persons ability to get credit and use that to their benefit in order to scam you.
Credit bureaus shouldnt be allowed to give out your info without your permission, but they are.
Whats the point of keeping your scocial security number private if the credit bureaus give it out to any scum sucking, lying, thieving scam artist collector??

FYI, collection agencies might not pull names out of the sky, but they do perform " property searches" to find ANY names associated to that address. The collector will use this ifno to make up a fake bill and send it to you so it looks legit in hopes that youll pay it, or change the name on a legit bill to your name if the original debetor wont pay or cant be found.
Its a brilliant scam... i dont know why he have bank robbers when this is so damn easy. When the victim files a complaint they simply lie and say it was a "mistake" and get away with it.

When i was 20, I saw my credit report for the first time. I had a 700 beacon score. HOW? Well my mother used my name and social to purchase things. Not little things, cars and all.. I do not mean to sound insensitive, but that could be it. I would dispute the debt IN FULL. You know that you are not responsible. If they continue to harass, call an aty.

First thing I would do is get credit reports under BOTH names and see what is being reported on them. Then if the debt shows up, take all the steps to dispute the debt. I would probably consult with an attorney after seeing what is being reported because it sounds real shady.