Most news articles on consumer law are needlessly confusing. Attorney Mike Cardoza takes a straight, no-nonsense approach on the current issues facing consumers today. Our blog provides an insider’s view on consumer rights, and explores topics such as threats to privacy and unfair credit reporting. Be sure to check back for regular updates.
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Why Is Someone Else’s Information on My Credit Report?Maybe the fraudulent account is connected to an address you have never lived at. Maybe the phone number attached to it is not yours. Maybe there is an email address, name variation, or other identifying information you do not recognize. Those details can matter because somebody committing identity theft often has to create a financial identity that looks enough like you to get through automated systems.
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That Account Isn’t Mine. Why Is It on My Credit Report?This is something I see over and over again in Identity Theft cases. People assume the word “verified” means somebody at the credit bureau conducted a detective-style investigation and found actual proof that they opened the account. Maybe somebody located the original application, compared signatures, examined identification documents, or figured out who actually received the money or used the account.
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These Credit Card Charges Aren’t Mine. Why Was I Denied?inadequate investigations are not imaginary. Federal regulators have found real cases where credit-card issuers failed to conduct reasonable investigations before holding consumers responsible for disputed unauthorized charges.
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I Warned My Bank. Why Did They Let the Money Go?This situation is different because you are seeing the smoke before the house burns down. You call the bank and say, “Something is wrong right now.” You believe you have caught the problem in time because you did exactly what a responsible customer is supposed to do: you noticed the alert, picked up the phone, and told the institution holding your money that somebody appeared to be trying to take it.
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I Sent the Bank Everything. Why Am I Still Denied?This is something I see in Bank Hacking cases that makes me particularly angry. The bank does not necessarily give you one final denial and tell you to go away. Instead, somebody tells you there is another thing you can do: send us this, provide that, call this number, submit these documents, appeal the decision.
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The Bank Says It Investigated. Did It?Most people hear the word “investigation” and imagine someone gathering evidence, comparing facts, looking at timelines, reviewing spending history, and trying to figure out what really happened. That is what an investigation is supposed to be.
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Why Can’t My Bank Tell These Charges Aren’t Mine?It is bad enough when money disappears from your account. It is worse when your bank looks at obviously bizarre charges and basically tells you that ...
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Why does the bank say the PIN proves it was me?The bank may treat a PIN entry as strong evidence because its system recorded the correct PIN. But a PIN can be observed, captured, stolen, or misused. “PIN entered” does not automatically mean you authorized the transaction.
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Why did the bank ignore that it wasn’t me?The bank may have ignored that point because it treated technical records as more important than your report. But you were not saying nothing happened. You were saying the transaction happened without your permission.
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Why did my bank act like the case was obvious?Your bank may have acted like the case was obvious because its system saw familiar signals. But a familiar signal does not automatically prove authorization. The real question is whether you approved the transaction, not whether the bank’s system recognized part of it.