Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Georgia

Fraudulent collection amount put onto credit report by collection lawyer

I was contacted by an attorney in Louisiana telling me that I owed an amount $105.89 to Bellsouth. I called Bellsouth and the 105.89 is a credit amount that was never applied to a bill, thus it being outstanding. I told the lawyer what happened and he continued to send me letters demanding payment. Yesterday, I discovered he reported this amount to my credit breauru and is now on my credit report. I was planning on buying a home within the next month or so, and now this could severly ruin my credit and prevent me from doing so. I need help! This is so irresponsible of him to do and I am the one suffering for Bellsouth's mistakes. Is there any sort of action legally I can take to either BellSouth for negligence or to the lawyer for fraud?


Asked on 12/07/06, 5:44 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Scott Riddle Law Office of Scott B. Riddle, LLC

Re: Fraudulent collection amount put onto credit report by collection lawyer

It is highly unlikely the lawyer or BellSouth are trying to defraud you, even if mistakes were made. Prior to figuring out who to sue, you need to be proactive in fixing the problem. Get whatever documents or confirmation you can from BellSouth, and dispute the item on your credit report. The report should have instructions, or you can call the 3 big ones to find out how to file a dispute. Check all three now, then a month or so from now. Include whatever you get from BS in the dispute. Send copies to the lawyer, and request that he immediately remove the negative item. If your concern is buying a house, this is the best way to get a quick resolution even if it is not your fault, and a hassle. This will also give you a paper trail for a lender who needs an explanation. If, in a month or so (the timeline set for credit bureaus to investigate the dispute), it is still on there and the lawyer takes no steps to remove it, it is probably time for a more direct letter to the lawyer giving him 10 days to act. You can get a lawyer to write any of the letters to the BS lawyer, but you may be able to hold that expense to see if you can get the account docs from BS, and get a quick resolution yourself.

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Answered on 12/08/06, 6:25 am


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