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Bills for something I don't know about

Discussion in 'Legal Issues' started by Tycho Regter, Jun 15, 2017.

  1. #1
    So today I got mailed by "Intrum" and they told me I have to pay about €130,- to a company named "ViaBuy" which I've never heart about but they did send me a letter a view weeks ago, I don't know what the letter was since I didn't open it because I thought it was spam or an advertisement. I did some research today and found out "ViaBuy" is a company that sells Prepaid Creditcards (Which I'm not legally allowed to own since I'm not at the age of 18 yet) but they do have my home/mailing adress so I'm afraid someone used my name, adress and email to create an account or anything like that on ViaBuy. Does someone know how to solve this and what I could do now? I don't want to pay €130,- especially not for something I don't know about and something I didn't buy or use.
     
    Tycho Regter, Jun 15, 2017 IP
  2. sarahk

    sarahk iTamer Staff

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    #2
    First up, this could be a "pro forma scam" where invoices are sent to people hoping they intimidated to pay or just not realise they didn't get the goods/service in the first place

    I'd start by talking to one of your parents or an older friend who you trust (I guess that could be us)

    Go back to ViaBuy and ask them for all the details of the sale that they believe you made. That should include user_agent and IP address as well as anything entered by the buyer such as name, email. Once you have all of that you have something to get started with.

    If the buyer isn't in the Netherlands then you have a classic opportunistic scam and can argue that case (politely) with ViaBuy who will be able to see from your communications where you are.

    If the buyer is local it could be someone you know using your details either randomly, or with harmful intentions.

    Go through your email history and make sure there is nothing to do with ViaBuy in there. If there is, work out who might have had access to your email at that time and you may get a clue. Was there a friend you've suddenly stopped hearing from?

    If you can't get this to go away yourself you will have 2 choices
    1. pay the bill - it may not be worth the heartache fighting it
    2. fight it - either talk to your family lawyer or a community law service. Provide all the information you have. Be unemotional and honest and find out what protection you have by being a legal minor.
     
    sarahk, Jun 15, 2017 IP
  3. PoPSiCLe

    PoPSiCLe Illustrious Member

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    #3
    Just so you know, "Intrum" is a reputable company (at least they are here in Norway, if they're the same, it's a collections agency, not a scam). Contact them, and tell your story - if you object to the claim, they should (again, if the law is similar to here in Norway) not be able to collect until the claim is either verified or rejected (and then the case goes away). Regardless, always speak to the claimant.
     
    PoPSiCLe, Jun 17, 2017 IP
  4. dscurlock

    dscurlock Prominent Member

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    #4
    If this is a prepaid credit card, then exactly how do you owe €130? Even if someone else opened the account
    in your name, then the credit card would have had to been prepaid upfront before the card could be used....

    • you should start monitoring your credit as soon as possible for any suspicious activity.
    • You can pay the debt so it goes away or
    • You can respond to the letter and deny that this is your account, and dispute any charges.

    Even if it is fraud, then most likely it could end up on your credit report. credit bureaus normally
    do not take sides, they just report what has been reported to them, even if it is fraud related....

    so you can either pay it or fight it, then move on....

    guard your private info with your life, never give out your info to
    unknown, untrusted sources, never leave bills laying around so they can be
    stolen, so if you do not need bills anymore, then burn or shred them....
    never give anyway access to your email, bank account or other private accounts.

    IMO, if you had taken the time to do some research, then it would
    infact appear that "VIABUY" is a scam; do some research....
    https://www.complaintsboard.com/com...sked-me-to-pay-for-the-fake-bill-c731949.html

    and just because it is a scam does not mean they wont report you
    to the credit bureaus, they may, or may not do this, but that would
    be your job to investigate further, and dispute any claims/charges....
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2017
    dscurlock, Jul 16, 2017 IP
  5. matt_62

    matt_62 Prominent Member

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    #5
    you are not getting mail from viabuy, but rather someone pretending to do so on their behalf. I see alot of letters, bills from "amazon" and pretty much any company you can think of, that when you hover over the links, would take you to (what I guess is a fake site) and clearly not associated with the site you use. There are many phishing scams going on all the time.

    Scammers buy databases with peoples names, and emails, simply to use for these scams, and they only need 1 person to fall victim to make it worth their while.

    EDIT:
    I have gone to the viabuy site, and went through the process required to order a card. The only proof it requires is mobile code verification (no email verification). No payment requested for a card, or postage, so anyone can sign anyone up, using detail found online (such as whois data), and can even use someone elses email address as it does (or did not) appear in part of the verification process.

    I think if this debt is real, and does go to court, it needs to be proved which number received the verification code, and from that, which country was the phone in, and who was it registered to. Because if the only verification is phone (not email), then the person who owns the phone needs to be held liable.
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2017
    matt_62, Jul 23, 2017 IP