Right account, wrong guy

[Browns]

Ohio 1st time poster (hopefully last, I'm pretty clueless at legal stuff)

I'm wondering if I should actively pursue a lawyer about my situation, if anyone can help me that would be great.

Back in 2001 I opened an account with a check cashing business. Took out $100 dollars to go to a concert (it was on a Thursday so I had no money). I paid them back that Friday, and never used them again.

A few months later, they call me and say I owe $575.00 I freaked out. Left work, drove up to the place to see why. They showed me a check with my 'name' but wrong middle initial. I said "that's not my check, and that's not me". I said "it might be my real dad's check... but I have not talked to him in 15 years". They were shocked to hear that, and after about 1/2 hour they said "We'll enter a note not to bother you about this again, we're sorry".

Months go by of not hearing from them. Then I get another call about the $575.00. I explain the story again to them, after about 10 minutes they say "Ok, we'll note that, you won't be getting anymore calls".

I get a phone call 5 months ago (as of today), asking about the same $575.00. I try telling this girl over the phone that it's not my check. She says "Yes it is your check, it's your account, and your name". I tried telling her to look at the middle initial, and that we've been over this many many times. She was dead set on it being mine, and my bank account. I've had it! I take more time off work, run up there and show them it's not mine. Same response "We'll take care of this".

Last Friday (as of today), I get a voicemail saying "The $575.00 will effect your credit if not taken care of by the end of this week". I don't have the best credit as it is.... made a mistake on co-signing for a 'girlfriend' and she moved states, and stopped paying on the car. So after years of getting my credit back on line, someone treating to affect my credit about something that's not mine really makes me angry.

I get up there, and they even show me a copy of my real dad's bankruptcy. Again.... it's not my check. I did not give him permission to cash a check on an account I've used ONE time. They never took that debt off my 'account', and they even have bankruptcy forms of the guy who they thought was me....so why are they still bothering me??

This whole ordeal has been a nightmare. All my friends/co-workers/and family knows the stuff I've been thru. Does this sound like I may have a case against them? They let someone else use MY account. When they went to collect the money from the check owner (not me), he supplied them with bankruptcy papers, and then they came after me??

Sorry for the long post... but again, it's been a nightmare. I took yesterday off thinking I'd spend all day visiting lawyers or talking on the phone... but 11 lawyers I left voicemails for and zero called me back all day.

*edit*Oh yeah. The last time I went up there they "closed/zero'd" my account, yet they are keeping all of that guys forms and stuff in my account folder. I demanded they give me written proof that it's all finally done. She printed off a "Write-off Recovery". This form makes it look like I paid the $575.00!!! That can't look good on my credit seeing a '02 debt paid off in '07.... even when I did not pay it off.

[Zigner]

I don't get it - if your "real dad" hasn't had contact with you for 15 years, how did he get your bank account information 6 years ago?
And...why didn't you call the police 6 years ago?

[Browns]

I don't get it - if your "real dad" hasn't had contact with you for 15 years, how did he get your bank account information 6 years ago?
And...why didn't you call the police 6 years ago?

Here's what I came up with over the 5 years this has been going on. My real dad walked into the place going to cash a check. Since his and my name are identical EXCEPT for the middle name (or initial), they said "oh hello mr. ____ how much would you you like to borrow". So I'm sure he did not know that I ever went there, but he must have figured it out after how easy it was to borrow money off those people.

On that note... why even make a copy of my picture (on my license) if they're not going to check it. I know, I know... it's just like the signature lines on the back of credit cards... like 1 out of 1,000 companies will ever try to match that up.

I did not call the cops because I figured he did not do it on purpose, and if I explained to the company what might have happened to get my name cleared, it would all be fixed. It was apparently a clerical error on their part, that they just refuse to fix.