About a week ago, Equifax credit monitoring service I regularly use sent me notice of a new account and a change in score. I had recently opened a credit card account, and thought that was it. When I got to the website however, I had a new account that was immediately reported as 120 days deliquent from AFNI. I saw that it was a Verizon account, and, if the account number reported is a telephone number, it is a New Jersey phone number. It lowered my credit score by 25 points. I disputed it, but Equifax verfied it. I know that only means that some information AFNI has matches some information Equifax has. Now, a day ago the status on the account was changed to bad debt/collection, and my credit score was lowered another 20 points.
I have several problems with this. First of all, I have never received a collection notice from AFNI. I have no idea if that account number is one of AFNI's creation, or if it is indeed a Verizon account number. If it is a Verizon account number, I know the account is mine because I have never even been in New Jersey, let alone lived there. I had an account with Verizon five years ago in Pennsylvania that I closed in good standing.
Second, I don't understand how they can change the status on an account so quickly, without giving me an opportunity to respond, and how this $51 dollar collection account can have an almost 50 point affect on my credit score.
I've worked really hard to rebuild my credit over the last several years after making mistakes when I was much younger and incurring some medical bills when I didn't have insurance. I'm really frustrated that so much of the work I've done has been tossed out the window over an account that isn't mine. I know a lot of other people have had issues with AFNI recently, and over much larger amounts. It's simply ridiculous.
I have sent AFNI a letter disputing the debt and requesting verification. We'll see if they respond.
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