Interesting Situation - PLEASE HELP!!
Date: Wed, 01/05/2011 - 07:06
When I was slightly younger (5-6 years ago), I worked for a very small moving company owned by one man. I worked there for about 2 years doing sales. During my time there the owner said he was moving to Israel and wanted to run the company from there while leaving me in charge at the home office in NJ. I said that sounded fine. In any event this guy opened an Amex business card in my name (since he had my social sec # and everything) and told me it would be fine since he would pay off any business charges from the company account. He did for the first few months while I was there so I thought nothing of it. Apparently he charged the card on the company's credit card machine to basically give the company a loan of about $5,000. AMEX cancelled the card after that but told us payment was due on the money. Once he left to Israel he continued to pay, but only the minimum monthly payment during the winter period/recession when business was very slow.
After about a year, I left the company to go back to school and work and he told me he'd take care of paying off the card. For a while everything seemed fine, no issues, he apparently was paying it off every month. However, now I am getting calls from Allied Interstate saying I have a debt. I haven't given them any information yet and I just told them I'd rather be contacted by mail than the million "Private Number" phone calls a day. The guy from Allied Interstate was really rude and told me "you know what this is about" and that he will "tell AMEX that im uncooperative and tell them to take further action because I'm not responding positvely". He told me the total debt amount is aorund $7,000.
I've tried to contact the owner of the moving company but all the #s are disconnected and he has seemed to disappear. From the last person I talked to who worked at the company, apparently he also fell behind on his mortgage, rent, etc and owed the bank a lot of money for that.
In any event, at this point, what are my options? Is AMEX going to sue me? I don't have $7,000 to pay this off and don't think it's fair that I would have to anyway.
After about a year, I left the company to go back to school and work and he told me he'd take care of paying off the card. For a while everything seemed fine, no issues, he apparently was paying it off every month. However, now I am getting calls from Allied Interstate saying I have a debt. I haven't given them any information yet and I just told them I'd rather be contacted by mail than the million "Private Number" phone calls a day. The guy from Allied Interstate was really rude and told me "you know what this is about" and that he will "tell AMEX that im uncooperative and tell them to take further action because I'm not responding positvely". He told me the total debt amount is aorund $7,000.
I've tried to contact the owner of the moving company but all the #s are disconnected and he has seemed to disappear. From the last person I talked to who worked at the company, apparently he also fell behind on his mortgage, rent, etc and owed the bank a lot of money for that.
In any event, at this point, what are my options? Is AMEX going to sue me? I don't have $7,000 to pay this off and don't think it's fair that I would have to anyway.
Did you ever sign a contract or credit agreement with AMEX?
Did you ever sign a contract or credit agreement with AMEX?
Not that I can remember, I think the owner of the company did it
Not that I can remember, I think the owner of the company did it online...and AMEX just sent the card after that. It is possible though an agreement was signed. If it was he could have just forged my signature. That was happening all the time while he was in Israel. He would have the secretary forge his signature for checks, etc...
The company's TAX ID and Business name is on / attached to the card as well....
