rockin'robin
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Clerical Error Turns Life Upside Down
SEATTLE -- A Renton, Wash., woman is trying to get her life back on track after a simple typo turned everything upside down, KIRO-TV reported.
It all started when Brittany Ball was out shopping with her family in April. When she tried to use her credit card, it was declined. After Ball was assured by the bank that it was just an error, she tried to use another card a week later. The same thing happened.
Ball told the station that apparently someone mistakenly entered her Social Security number during a bankruptcy proceeding. Her number was switched with a Tacoma woman's number.
This simple clerical mistake, however, had a big impact on Ball's life.
"Basically, my life was put on hold," Ball said.
Ball started getting bankruptcy notices in the mail, her credit line dropped to $200 and the bank put a hold on her car loan. For two months, Ball was living on virtually zero credit.
"It makes your name look bad," Ball said. "Having to deal with the embarrassment at the store by having your cards turned down."
Ball tried to fix the problem, spending hours on the phone and meeting with people at her bank, but it took a court order to straighten out the error.
"It's not an easy thing when you're cruising along and you think everything is going OK, and the next thing you know your whole life is upside down," Ball said.
The Federal Trade Commission told KIRO that there is little anyone can do to stop this from happening to them. The FTC's Bob Schroder said that what happened to Ball borders on identity theft.
"All your accounts get frozen because your Social Security number got misused," Schroder said. "It can happen to anybody."
The station tried to contact the firm representing the woman in the bankruptcy case whose number was switched with Ball's, but they did not return any calls.
Experts recommend checking your credit report each year to try to avoid something like this from happening. You can check your credit report or find out what else you can do to stop identity theft.
Typo Wipes Out Woman's Good Credit - Money News Story - WJXT Jacksonville
SEATTLE -- A Renton, Wash., woman is trying to get her life back on track after a simple typo turned everything upside down, KIRO-TV reported.
It all started when Brittany Ball was out shopping with her family in April. When she tried to use her credit card, it was declined. After Ball was assured by the bank that it was just an error, she tried to use another card a week later. The same thing happened.
Ball told the station that apparently someone mistakenly entered her Social Security number during a bankruptcy proceeding. Her number was switched with a Tacoma woman's number.
This simple clerical mistake, however, had a big impact on Ball's life.
"Basically, my life was put on hold," Ball said.
Ball started getting bankruptcy notices in the mail, her credit line dropped to $200 and the bank put a hold on her car loan. For two months, Ball was living on virtually zero credit.
"It makes your name look bad," Ball said. "Having to deal with the embarrassment at the store by having your cards turned down."
Ball tried to fix the problem, spending hours on the phone and meeting with people at her bank, but it took a court order to straighten out the error.
"It's not an easy thing when you're cruising along and you think everything is going OK, and the next thing you know your whole life is upside down," Ball said.
The Federal Trade Commission told KIRO that there is little anyone can do to stop this from happening to them. The FTC's Bob Schroder said that what happened to Ball borders on identity theft.
"All your accounts get frozen because your Social Security number got misused," Schroder said. "It can happen to anybody."
The station tried to contact the firm representing the woman in the bankruptcy case whose number was switched with Ball's, but they did not return any calls.
Experts recommend checking your credit report each year to try to avoid something like this from happening. You can check your credit report or find out what else you can do to stop identity theft.
Typo Wipes Out Woman's Good Credit - Money News Story - WJXT Jacksonville
