Mixed Credit Files
Here at Lyngklip & Associates, our legal team represents victims of identity theft against financial institutions, debt collectors, and credit bureaus who try to pass on the cost of identity fraud to the victims. We can help you to restore your credit and bring an identity theft case to get compensation for your credit damage, denials, and frustration. If you’re a victim of identity theft, contact a dedicated Michigan lawyer from our firm for a free consultation today.
Identity theft issues aren’t easy. Our attorneys have been representing consumers and victims of identity theft scams since 1995, and we know how to get you off the credit dispute treadmill, stop the harm, and restore your credit history. You don’t need to suffer with identity theft anymore. We understand your problem and how to fix it. Protecting consumers is our only practice area and our law firm has been a trusted resource for other attorneys and judges for decades. We can help you too.
Contact us today for a free consultation with one of our identity theft attorneys.
There are several types of identity theft. In “new account fraud,” the thief uses the personal identifying information of another person to obtain goods or services without the consent of the victim. The thief can get this information directly from the victim, through social engineering, phishing, data breach, from a stolen driver’s license, or by buying hacked information. Most often, the identity thief will use this information to open a credit card, student loan, or car loan, leaving the victim to pay the bill and deal with the financial institutions that opened the accounts.
In the second type of identity theft, called an “account takeover,” the thief uses an account number or credit card number belonging to the victim. The thief takes the goods and resells them, again leaving the victim to deal with the bill and the credit reporting. Our firm is here to help. Simply reach out today to speak with a seasoned identity theft lawyer.
Lyngklip & Associates proudly handles all types of identity theft cases on behalf of our clients, including the following:
Federal law protects consumers from unauthorized use of their credit card numbers and the opening of fraudulent accounts. However, many victims still find fraudulent transactions in their bills and on their credit reports. Law enforcement and credit reporting agencies rarely provide help and support for victims of identity theft. You won’t find help from a criminal defense attorney or a general practitioner who advertises for identity theft cases. And even if local law enforcement won’t bring misdemeanor or other criminal charges, you can still bring an identity theft case against credit bureaus that place credit cards, bank accounts, and other false information on your credit report.
Victims can get help from a consumer protection attorney who knows credit reporting to deal with bills and ruined credit scores. If your life has been turned upside down by identity theft, let one of our experienced identity theft attorneys help with financial institutions, debt collectors, and credit bureaus. Call our office toll-free for a free consultation and credit report review.
Many people first learn that their identity has been stolen when they receive a summons and complaint to court — or worse, a garnishment for an account they have never seen before. Without an attorney to help, the legal system can steamroll an identity theft victim. Our attorneys can help you stop any ongoing lawsuits or collection actions and ensure that those legal actions don’t become judgments that ruin your credit report. If you have received a lawsuit or garnishment for a fraudulent credit account, contact us now for a free consultation. Contact us today for an attorney-client relationship with an identity theft attorney.
State and federal law provide identity theft victims with the right to attorney’s fees for restoring their credit or fighting back against collectors of fraud accounts. If you have been the victim of identity theft, your fees are paid by the other side, and we charge nothing unless we can get a recovery for you. There is no charge to you for your initial consultation. Email us for a free review of your identity theft problem.
After your case is done, we will help you to regularly check and monitor your credit report, with a free annual review of your credit reports to ensure that you stay free of identity theft accounts and collections.
Lyngklip & Associates has represented victims of identity theft and other credit reporting errors for over 20 years. We have helped thousands of people in both individual and class actions against credit reporting agencies and creditors who have falsely ruined the credit of consumers. Our Michigan attorneys have earned a reputation for service and excellence from our clients and peers and are among the most respected credit reporting attorneys in the country. We bring the best available information, skills, and technology to help credit reporting victims restore their accurate credit and get compensation for false reporting by the credit bureaus and their data providers.
Q: Am I responsible for credit card accounts opened in my name?
A: No. Federal law protects identity theft victims from having to pay for credit cards that they did not open. Even if your social security number was used to open the account, you can’t be held responsible for an account that you did not open or ask for. And the credit bureaus are not allowed to put these accounts on your credit report.
Q: Am I responsible for unauthorized charges to my own credit card accounts?
A: No. Federal law protects credit card holders from unauthorized charges to their accounts. Even if the credit card company makes you sign a disclaimer of liability, the Fair Credit Billing Act and Truth In Lending Act still protect you from having to pay charges you didn’t authorize.
Q: Can debt collectors force me to pay for a fraud account or fraud charges?
A: For most, the first sign of identity theft is a collection call for an unfamiliar credit account that has been handed off to a professional debt collector. These collectors are trained to reject any excuses from consumers, and they will ignore consumers’ claims that an account is the result of credit fraud.
Q: Do I need to file a police report?
A: No. Banks will accept a police report as proof of identity theft. But federal law also requires lenders and financial institutions to accept an identity theft affidavit as proof. These affidavits are a standard form issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help ID Theft victims. There is no need to go to a police station and wait to fill out a report. Consumers can just use the FTC identity theft affidavit. Most attorney generals have links to the Federal Trade Commission on their websites. You can find the FTC ID Theft Affidavit here.
Q: Do I need to place a “fraud alert” on my credit report in order to clear my name?
A: No, but fraud alerts can help. Typically, credit bureaus will place a fraud alert on the consumer’s report anytime the consumer reports an identity fraud or information on their report that they do not recognize. This alert places creditors on notice that requests for new accounts may be made by a scam artist so that they can check for valid identification and complete ID information. This alert can help protect you against the opening of new accounts.
Q: How can an identity theft attorney help?
A: Most victims of identity theft will need to deal with damaged credit, collection lawsuits, and filing of police reports. An identity theft attorney can help with your stolen identity by drafting credit disputes, dealing with debt collectors, and helping to file police reports. Along the way, an attorney can help provide legal advice that will help you navigate the legal issues arising from identity theft crimes. The same creditors who allow an identity thief to open a fraud account will use credit reporting and debt collection to pressure consumers to pay for the fraud, even if that company knows the account is a product of identity theft. These unfair practices leave ID theft victims to pay the price, even though they did nothing to cause the problem. An attorney can help by writing disputes that will restore your credit.
Q: How can you recognize identity theft?
A: You may have a case under the Fair Credit Reporting Act if you notice the following things on your background report:
Q: Who Are the Credit Bureaus That Have Information About Me?
A: There are four major credit bureaus that get information from lenders, debt collectors, and public record collectors. They are each required to provide consumers with a free copy of their credit file every year.
Equifax
1550 Peachtree Street Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30309
Experian
701 Experian Parkway
Allen, Texas 75013
Innovis
250 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
TransUnion
555 West Adams Street
Chicago, IL 60661
Q: Where Do You Practice?
A: Our law office is located in Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. We practice throughout the entire state, including in Monroe and Washtenaw Counties, and we have been admitted to practice and made appearances in several other states where we are not licensed: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Virginia. If we are unable to practice in the state where your case needs to be filed, we can make a referral to another qualified credit report attorney near you.
Q: What are your practice areas?
A: Consumer protection is our only practice area. We only represent consumers in disputes with businesses and financial institutions in the consumer credit area. We are not criminal defense lawyers and we do not represent defendants in misdemeanor or criminal defense cases. If you need a criminal defense attorney, see our referral network page.
Don’t face an incident of identity theft without a competent lawyer in your corner. Here at Lyngklip & Associates, we have decades of experience representing victims of all types of identity theft and consumer fraud, and we stand ready to put that experience to work for you as well. Contact a skilled Michigan identity theft lawyer from Lyngklip & Associates for a free initial consultation today.
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