Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in California
Fraudulent reactivation of phone number and we are responsible for bill!
Recently my daughter just received a $400 phone bill $400 and contacted the phone company to explain it was not hers only to be informed that she has been turned over to a collection agency.
My daughter briefly shared an apartment while she was attending college last semester with another. My daughter contacted the phone company to switch service to her new residence. She was instructed to put her existing phone number in a disabled status then the old room mate could call in and easily activate it into her own name. What happened was the old room mate called in with my daughters name/ssn and just reactivated the phone number. The phone company had the records of the first call my daughter made switching service to her new residence. The old room mate also gave her my home address, I assume after several months of not paying the bill and now my daughter has received the bill. We don't have any address info for the old room mate.
Not only is there fraud involved here but the phone company refuses to see the fact that my daughter had switched the service. I don't want my daughters credit ruined and I certainly don't have the $400 to pay the bill. I'm at a loss for what to do next. Any suggestions?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Fraudulent reactivation of phone number and we are responsible for bill!
Make a police complaint against the roommate for identity theft and then sue her.
Re: Fraudulent reactivation of phone number and we are responsible for bill!
This is a problem your local state assembly representative would enjoy helping you solve. Your daughter does not owe the money, and the California PUC, if it has jurisdiction, will also help out. If the PUC does not have jurisdiction, then the Federal Communications Commission will take care of it. But first, call your State Assemblyman and/or your local U.S. Congressman. They all work for you, and you and your daughter will be happy to find out that they can actually be effective. Use the evil phone company's directory to pull the phone numbers you need.
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