CA sent fraudulent verification - what are my options?

[Anonymous]

I sent a DV letter to CA last week for a $125 medical collection on my bureaus with a 2006 date. This week I received what appeared to be a statement from the OC dated this week for services rendered in 2002 totaling $360, with an entry showing a credit for that amount. The CA's company initials were next to the credit (to make it appear CA was responsible making the pmt). I searched until I found the original 2002 statement from the OC. The services rendered were not those described in the new invoice, nor did they total $360 (it was only $125). I contacted the med svcs provider (OC) - they had not sent me this new invoice, and it in no way matched their records for me. The invoice I received in the mail this week was a forgery mailed by the CA under the pretense that it was being provided by the OC. I'm not sure it was advisable but I paid the med svcs provider and have a receipt for it. I realize now that the CA's forged invoice actually includes other small collections from completely different providers (also from 2002), but not for what is listed on this invoice. The invoice is definitely fraudulent. What are my options with this CA and the CRA's. The CA is reporting those other amounts, but I had only DV'd the one account with one specific provider. This is my first post and I could really use some direction here.

[SmartCookie]

You paid the OC their total charges of $125?  Advisable yes but you should have gotten something in writing.  Call them tomorrow and tell them to remove this CA from your account since there is nothing to collect.  Hopefully that will do it but that does not have anything to do with that CA's violations.

I'd file an FTC complaint as well as one with the Atty General.  You can also get a lawyer and sue 'em. 

Read on about DVs, SOL, CA licensing etc. 

[Anonymous]

Let me make sure I understand everything.

You DVed a $125 collection, and then you received in the mail a statement which appeared to be from the OC yet you believe it came from the CA? Is there a return address on it? Does the statement you received include words to the effect of "this is an attempt to collect a debt" anywhere on the statement? Be sure to read the fine print (even though I don't believe they can legally do that) and read the back (again, don't think it's legal, but I know it happens).

How much did you pay the OC? Did you pay by check and did they cash it? If so, when did they cash it?

Was this paid out of pocket by you or did you have health insurance at the time? If you had health insurance, get in contact with the health insurance company. Even though it's from 2002, they likely have records. They might not have them immediately available online when you call. It's possible it's been archived and someone might have to go pull records and research it then get back to you. But call, appear lost, ask for help, and see how much help you can get. They'll need the name of the insured, insured SSN, name of the patient and their SSN (if not the insured), and dates of service.

Even though insurance companies are monster bureaucracies, there are worker bees laboring in the bowels of the company and they will often Go Jihad on behalf of a consumer who's been wronged. It's an odd sort of condition whereby an insurance will often try to screw over it's insureds, but if a medical provider tries to do it then the insurance company will often Get Medieval on their buttocks.

If the body of evidence even leans towards fraud, forgery, any form of lying or deception, then a consumer lawyer will definitely wanna talk with you. Talk to them first, before contacting the AG's office or any other gumint agency. If it' s a sufficiently egregious infraction, this could end up paying you very well.

[Anonymous]

I believe this "invoice" is from CA because 1) absolutely nothing about it matches the OC's records, 2) It isn't accurate 3)The OC said they didn't send it 4) The false entries on this are even out of chronological order. But, it was printed on a invoice that very much simulates one from the OC and it was sent in an envelope with OC's name and return address. So can I really prove the CA is responsible for it? Didn't have health insurance at the time (2002). Paid OC full amount by credit card by phone (yes, I realize now - not smartest method). By the way, CA is no longer reporting under the name to whom I sent the original DV. Instead, the same amount is listed TWICE, under 2 new CA names, but each has the same address as the first one (to whom I sent DV). The dispute with Equifax on this just came back "verified". I know I've got them in the wrong, but I just don't know the right step to take next. New DV letters for the new CA names? Letter to CA telling them they violated FDCPA by falsifying the form? MOV with CRA? All (or none) of the above?

[Anonymous]

Nothing like having them did themselves in deeper - DV the 2 new ones.  Call the OC and ask for a PFD considering the ''circumstances' and to have them do the following (this is from my letter to an Med OC):

You are required under the FCRA to accurately report the status of any account to the credit bureaus, and you are prohibited under the HIPAA and MCMRA(my state's regs) privacy regulations from doing so on a PAID account, as there is no longer any permitted business purpose. Therefore I am requesting you promptly rescind all such account information furnished to CA  and require them to purge their records of all reference to this account, and that you insure that any and all reporting of this account is immediately deleted from my credit reports upon your receipt of payment.  This simple procedure to request the deletion of ALL reference to this account from the records of CA and to require them to have this account information deleted in its entirety from my credit reports will resolve this problem completely.

Message Edited by Lady_Scarlet on 10-28-2007 10:01 PM

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Scarlet. I'll research my state regs on that so I can include it in my letter as well. In the event that I can't find the info quickly, does anyone know of a site that could direct me to the Virginia state regs?

Message Edited by Wivee on 10-29-2007 06:40 AM

[Anonymous]

Viginia Code can be searched here: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+TOC

Information about Virginia court system is here: http://www.courts.state.va.us/

[Anonymous]

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Wivee wrote:
it was printed on a invoice that very much simulates one from the OC and it was sent in an envelope with OC's name and return address. So can I really prove the CA is responsible for it?

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Did you keep the envelope? If so, check the post mark. If the OC is in Chantilly, the CA is Midland (TX), and the post mark is Midland, then a judge likely be favorably inclined to believe that the CA sent it.