A consumer was victimized after a thief opened a fraudulent Verizon account using his identity.
A victim of identity fraud explains what you should do if someone opens a wireless account in your name.
Closing the account with the carrier proved more difficult than expected. According to burning_sky12, they "had to jump through hoops and file a police report just so Verizon would close the account and report to the credit bureaus that I am not responsible for the unpaid balance or account." A key issue was Verizon's alleged failure to comply with Section 609(e) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which allows identity theft victims to request business records tied to fraudulent accounts opened in their name.
The individual sent Verizon a request for records related to the unauthorized account, including a police report and identity verification. Verizon declined to provide the documents, citing "internal privacy guidelines" and "proprietary information." The victim stated, "If Verizon lets someone open an account in your name this easily and won’t release the records that law enforcement needs to investigate further, how is anyone supposed to protect themselves?"
They added, "If a company isn’t taking proper security measures to prevent fraud and refuses to cooperate with victims, that’s a massive red flag." The user recommends these steps if you experience a similar issue:
File a police report
Submit a written FCRA §609(e) request
Document everything
If Verizon does not comply with your requests, the victim suggests filing complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and your state Attorney General. They caution against allowing Verizon to close your case if they are at fault. The user added that they have seen similar posts from others in the same situation and concludes that "If a company isn’t taking proper security measures to prevent fraud and refuses to cooperate with victims, that’s a massive red flag."
Consequently, the victim suggests that current and potential Verizon customers should avoid the company, writing, "I would not recommend anyone utilize this poor excuse of a business."
A former Verizon fraud department employee stated that "You can request information related to the incident and the rep should send you an email with a form to full out. But there's not much information that can be given, and you won't get any details regarding the investigation process or what happened when the account was opened."
As a Verizon subscriber for over 20 years, I have considered switching to T-Mobile but have not encountered such issues. This type of situation can occur with any carrier. However, the victim's advice is valuable if you need to file a complaint with your wireless provider.
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