Someone tried to scam my credit card.
So four days ago I've gotten an email from my credit card company about a fraudulent attempt to buy almost $3k worth of stuff from lowe's nc internet, whatever that is. I called the credit card company, they canceled my credit card and sent me out a new one. Fast forward a few days (last night at around 8:30 pm) I get a call from a collections agency claiming I owe them money for tuition at a university I never attended nor applied to 10 years ago. If there was a mistake in identity, why now, why 10 years later? The questions I have is would this bogus collection claim affect my credit score since they know my name and phone number? Can they take me to court or seize assets over debt that's not mine? Is it possible that this has something to do with my credit card number being stolen? Is there any free or cheap way I can check if someone is trying to apply for credit using my information?
I have excellent credit, mortgage, credit cards, loc, never been denied for a loan or credit. This is freaking the ***** out of me, what steps should I take to protect myself even further?
Thanks in advance for any information, any advice would help.
I have excellent credit, mortgage, credit cards, loc, never been denied for a loan or credit. This is freaking the ***** out of me, what steps should I take to protect myself even further?
Thanks in advance for any information, any advice would help.