My daughter is receiving calls from a credit card company saying that she has a credit card. She does not have a credit card and has never applied for a credit card. We had a credit report pulled and it shows an open account with a 0 balance and it shows they did an inquiry on her credit. How can they do that legally? Is there anything she can do about this?

She needs to contact the credit bureau directly.......and fast. She may be a victim of identity theft.

If you feel she has been a vicitim of Identity Theft or to educate yourself about this rapidly increasing crime, you may also want to visit the FTC's website to learn what you should do and how to protect yourself. I am providing the link below....

FTC'S Identity Theft Resource

Good Luck! I hope all works out well.

You or she should also contact the issuer of this supposed credit card.

Here's an excellent source of information about ID theft from the Federal Trade Commission.

Obviously, L'il Bit, "great minds think alike." You thought faster!

Gee John - I think that's one of the best compliments I've ever had! Faster on the draw, maybe - but I definitely submit to your mind being greater than mine..

I used this resource when I was asked to give a presentation to our Student Advisory Board and I presented the topic Identity Theft. When I saw how informative it was, I put together an Identity Theft Kit and provided it to all of our Op Mgrs and Lending Supervisors in the event a customer contacted them needing advice. Unfortunately they have referenced it many times in the past few months - but at least they were able to help. Also, the students took the information home and shared it with their parents. Several of them called or commented when they came in the bank on how impressed their kids were because they found the topic so interesting and beneficial. I would recommend all banks educate their employees and customers and this is a great resource to do that.

Thank you all so much for the advice. I printed out the information off the FTC's website. What if it is not identity theft? Can credit card companies just open you up a credit card and pull a credit report on you without your signed authorization?

It's illegal to send unsolicited credit cards. However, card issuers can -- and do -- contract with credit bureaus to obtain lists of candidates for offers of preapproved credit card accounts. Generally, the bureau uses criteria designed to identify potentially qualified persons, and sells the list to the issuer. The issuer still needs to make the offer and obtain a consumer's agreement.

Consumers can contact the credit bureaus (a single call will cover all three major bureaus) and flag their records as "do not solicit" (don't send my name to an issuer). The FTC site has info on this. Or go to http://www.experian.com where you'll also find information. Experian is one of the "Big Three."

It's possible that somehow your daughter authorized the issuance. She can still contact the issuer and ask that the account be closed.