mlj Loc: Anderson, SC

At the end of last May I retired and moved to South Carolina to be closer to my sister and brother. I had lived in my NC home for more than 20 years.

Recently I decided to rent an apartment and I completed all of the necessary documents needed for approval. The apartment complex does a credit check and history report on potential tenants.

I was not approved by management to rent an apartment. Their history report stated that I had been convicted of two felonies for possession of child pornography and distribution. The report also stated that I was a 6 foot tall male who weighed 242 pounds. I am 5 feet seven inches tall and weigh about 170 pounds.

Needless to say, I was extremely disturbed by the information in the report. It turned out that the person with the felony convictions has my name and the same year of my birth. Why the reporting agency did not cross reference their information with a social security number is beyond me.

I took a copy of the report to the leasing agent at the apartment and showed her the information. It was obvious from the photos of the felon, that I was not that person. Still, I was not approved until I could work with the reporting agency to resolve the issues in the report.

Have any of you Hoggers had a similar experience?

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

NO, thank God.

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

No. Reporting agencies can be very evil. And very hard to deal with. They don't seem to care about the incorrect info. they provide. I wish you luck.

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

I had a similar experience about 10 years ago when I attempted to buy a firearm. The background check came back the I was a convicted felon for aggravated robbery. The date and time of this crime I was charged with was absolutely absurd, as I was serving in Vietnam at the time.

I can tell you, it was an utter nightmare to get this erroneous charge and accusations removed from the Federal database. After about a year it was removed after being fingerprinted by the state of Colorado, submitting a copy of my DD214 showing I was out of the country at the time, and verification of my Social Security number. I had to literally fight tooth and nail to get this removed. And to think we have people in this country that actually trusts the Federal Government.

Best of luck in resolving your problem but get this taken care of, including threatening to sue the reporting agency ASAP, as it will follow you the rest of your life.

jim quist Loc: Missouri

Someone else was buying exercise equipment and their name was the same as mine. Collection agency got it straightened out for me.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

I'm glad I don't have a common last name. Rothrock.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

Yep!

I had a similar experience with a credit reporting agency in 1974... someone with a similar name lived on a street with the same name as our old address, but about 50 miles away, from our old house & had an unpaid gasoline credit card bill. We had just moved about 300 miles away to another state. When the refiner's past due accounts people called me at my office, I knew I was current because I had just mailed my check the prior week. Needless to say it was a pretty heated conversation :D. When they checked more closely, like asking me for my credit card number and comparing it to the debtor's, they realized they screwed up. Why they wouldn't have made that cross reference before calling, I'll never understand. When I asked which credit reporting agency gave them their erroneous information, they wouldn't tell me :thumbdown: so I contacted my attorney. He was able to track down the agency, but they refused to correct the record. This was before the laws required them to fix errors like that! The attorney said the cost of going after them would be significant and suggested I send them a letter protesting their records. I never heard any more about it, but was grateful that it hadn't happened a few months earlier, or it probably would have screwed up my new mortgage application.

These type problems are a good reason to request copies of your credit reports annually; they are free, and you will be amazed how many credit cards they think you have.

travelwp Loc: New Jersey

Whoever this guy was, he should have been in politics. A similar bad history could have put him in high office.

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

:thumbup:

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Three Sue- sue-sue. You may have a case forn defamation of character

lev29 Loc: Born and living in MA.

Ditto. But still, these experiences must be horrible to go through, let alone the cost of rectifying something that was a mistake made by others! I wonder if there's a way a Class Action law suit could be organized.

mlj Loc: Anderson, SC

Thanks for all who have commented on my ordeal. I've not even thought of suing anyone over all of this. The agency who provided the report did not do a very good job. With my name being so common, they should have more thoroughly investigated their information before sending the report.

However, I do plan to do whatever is necessary to make sure this "other me" is never again part of my history. I'm not sure how to make that happen, but I have plenty of time to find out.

firtree Loc: Florida, USA

Good Luck! You could try placing a fraud alert on all of your accounts (it doesn't just protect you from fraudulent activity, it also makes it more exacting when people/creditors check your information) You could also try always using your middle initial or middle name when filling out applications, etc. With any luck, your 'alter-ego' does not have the same middle name.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

That's a scary situation. Trying to get records changed can be a nightmare. People don't like to admit that they're wrong. Let us know how this turns out.