Collection Agency Calling About My Child (Minor)?

[IOEveryone]

This is a strange one for both my wife and I.

We received an automated message that indicated "We are looking to speak to the parents of", then spelled my daughters first name and then said our last name. I had my wife call and the gentleman at the other end of the phone asked for our daughters date of birth and home address. My wife inquired what this was for. The gentleman the insisted that he either needed to speak to our daughter or be provided with the D.O.B. and home address. My wife then evoked the please send written notification of the debt to us. We then provided a po box to have the item sent. We asked if he understood the person in question was a minor and his response was yes.

I tried looking up her free annual credit report but because she's a minor, I have to mail in my request and provide some additional documentation. My wife and I are certain that we don't have any outstanding doctor / dentist invoices (we have insurance and always pay the co-pay upon exiting the office).

Anybody else have any experience with this one?

[frogger]

I understand the point of having insurance and paying the co-pay, however this happens on a regular basis when the insurance company didn't cover everything and your co-pay didn't cover the balance.

You need to find out what is going on, for you may actually have a bill that is owed and due to a provider. It sounds like the collection agency was doing the proper thing by noting that the debt was on a minor and not providing a lot of information until they knew they were speaking with the responsible party.

Check it out. Not having knowledge of an outstanding bill is not an excuse.

[frogger]

Anybody else have any experience with this one?

And a specific answer to this question:

YES

[GoingDown]

Get a copy of that credit report as soon as possible.

Your minor child might also be a victim of identity theft.

Someone may have ran up bills in the child's name and then not paid them.