Scammed - ID theft?

by **Bill Cummings** » Thu Sep 18, 2014 4:31 pm

As it turns out I was home here in Las Cruces NM (USA) August 19, 2014 serving up a BBQ Tender Loin, corn on the cob, and sweet potatoes to friends Robin and Nancy Hastings.

Inexplicably, on the same date, according to a bill I received from:
Northwestern Specialty Physicians
200 Caraway Dr.
Suite 2
Winfield, AL 35594-5048
I was having an office visit with Mark Randall MD. (Pay this amount $225.00) :wtf:

I can’t find this doctor with the AMA or the local Winfield doctor registry.
The BBB has no information on the medical center.
I can’t get a hold of billing there by phone.

I last drove through Alabama about 10 years ago.
The day before this BBQ/remote office call I was writing a check for vehicle service at Jack Key Nissan in Las Cruces.
The day after the BBQ/ remote office call I am on record at the ATM in Las Cruces, NM.

I have come to the conclusion that alien abduction and time travel is an explanation that may not pass muster with the police, FBI, credit bureau, and FTC so I'll be spinning something more difficult to prove such as identify theft.
Wish me luck! :wave:

by **Bob Kuczewski** » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:18 am

Good Luck!!!

One of the problems we have today is that we've allowed people to "vouch" for us who don't even know us.

When I was young, people would personally vouch for one another ... putting their own name on the line for someone else. That created a commitment by the person being vouched for to not tarnish the name of the person who spoke for them. We don't have that any more. Instead, we allow some national credit agency to "vouch" for us ... and they don't even know us!!!

These national credit agencies just play the numbers. They know that there's a certain amount of identity theft, but since it doesn't hurt them directly, they just tolerate it. It's the unfortunate victim who gets raked over the coals and dragged through the mud.

We need to get back to a system where people's character is in the hands of people who personally know them.

By the way, one of the reasons I make an effort to actually meet our members across the country (Bill, Sam, Scott, Joe, Robin, Neil, and many others) is to create a personal relationship that can't be easily fooled by electronic imposters. If I see something out of character with them (or they see something out of character with me), it's just one quick phone call to get to the truth of the matter. We're losing that in our society, and identity theft is just one of the consequences.

Once again Bill ... good luck!!!!

by **Bill Cummings** » Mon Sep 22, 2014 5:44 pm

You are right Bob. I have built a long reputation of being a man of my word. I have just recently stopped doing business with just a hand shake. Lately I was feeling like I should count my fingers after the hand shake since I’ve been burned too often by people that don’t believe that their word is an extension of themselves.

Since my last post I have contacted Equifax and told them about the bogus office visit bill I received for $225.00. Equifax rep. told me they would notify the other two credit organizations and put a stop to anyone opening another line of credit in my name for the next 90 days.

Today I went to the Las Cruces Police Department and picked up a copy of my Criminal Incident Report that I filed last week.

I next talked to my bank’s Security Coordinator and I gave him a look at my last bank statement and asked him for my image at the bank’s ATM the day after I was supposed to be in Alabama. Usually the bank will only release the ATM pictures with a subpoena from the police. The Sec, Coordinator after seeing all the paperwork of me being at Jack Key Nissan being serviced the day before and my Verizon bill with local phone calls pinging off the local cell tower on the date in question, 08/19/14, told me he would look for my image with a date and time stamp. I was able to give him the time of the printed ATM receipt right down to the second as I always record this in my check book off of the receipt.

Next I went to my doctors office and they faxed my “Criminal Incident Report,” bogus doctor bill and my notice from my doctor that their computers had been hacked in July with name, address, DOB, and Soc. Sec. number being compromised --all this sent by fax to the FTC. The local FBI office told me to do this along with a list of other things.

Robin was able to recall independently about he and his wife having BBQ at my house on 08/19/2014 due to his flight earlier that day. Along with him having a better than your average memory. He had also posted on the RGSA website about his flight and having dinner at my house.

I have collected a paper trail and with witnesses for me anyone should be able to see that I can prove my innocence (which is really what you must do now days) to show the offending party to be the true culprit.

I was surprised that the post office was of no help to me since this bogus bill came to me from out of state. I would think they would have a provision for mail fraud.

60 minutes on Sunday reported people filing your income tax ahead of you and choosing a debit card for the refund. And of course changing your address to somewhere near them and not your house. I think the best course of action with that scam is to arrange it so that you owe money by the tax deadline but no more than one thousand dollars. That will keep you from having to pay a penalty with interest.
EDIT: Another thing, Save your receipts.

by **Bill Cummings** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:22 pm

In a continuing effort to get my ducks in a row in the event, in thirty days, my next bogus doctor visit bill starts racking up interest due to nonpayment I made a visit to the local Social Security office in Las Cruces.

I asked the agent/guy at window #5 if I could have Soc.,Sec., put up an alert on both my account and my wife’s.
The alert would say that my Soc Sec number had been compromised and that I would not be changing my direct deposit account information online or by mail but would come in personally if I wanted any change.

Sorry Sir. That can’t be done. You will have to have a credit monitoring $ervice watch for any $u$piciou$ activity.

I think that means that once the horse has escaped through the open back barn door you will be notified of $u$piciou$ activity by your credit monitoring $ervice.

A simple fix would be to make a change to your direct deposit destination.

All you would need for doing that would be your social security number.
It's a small wonder that we can't stop this ID theft BS.

by **Bill Cummings** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:54 pm

I tried Google search on the phone number printed on the bogus doctor bill and saw some print that looked like Russian in the results.

: Scam.JPG (42.47 KiB) Viewed 4430 times

by **Bill Cummings** » Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:45 pm

resolution.
The short of it is:
The same financial company in Florida handles the billing for my doctors office here in New Mexico as well as the out of state billing of the medical center that was sending me bogus bills. As it turns out there is a fellow with the exact first, middle, and last name as me and the Florida billing mixed up the other Bill C., out of state, with my address. They sent me a letter that I don't owe them any money. :clap: