Written by: E. George
Published March 30, 2024 @ 2:30 PM ET
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. – A Columbia County woman called the sheriff’s office to report a case of identity fraud. She explained that a suspect used her personal information to rent an apartment in her name.
On March 14, 2024, she received an alert regarding her credit score, and when she checked, she saw that it had dropped over 100 points due to a collection agency. She contacted the agency, which informed her that she was in collections for $8,400 from unpaid rent, damages, and legal fees for an apartment.
They said the apartment was in Amber Chase Apartment Homes in McDonough. She told them she had not rented any apartments and believed someone had stolen her identity.
She explained to the deputy that she tried contacting the collection agency again, but they were “not cooperative.” She called the apartment complex, and they said they would email her the lease agreement; however, she did not receive an email, and they would not return her calls.
She stated that she wished to prosecute if a suspect was identified. This is an active case.
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
I received a telephone report about identity fraud. I spoke with [REDACTED] via telephone.
She stated that on 3 14 24, she got an alert about her credit score. She said that when she checked her credit score, she saw that it had gone down over 100 points and that a collections agency was responsible for it.
She contacted the collections agency, which stated she was in collections for $8,400 for not paying rent, damages, or legal fees for an apartment. She said they told her the apartment was in McDonough, Georgia`s Amber Chase apartment complex.
She stated she had never rented any apartments. She believes an unknown subject stole her identity and used her personal information to rent an apartment in her name.
She tried contacting the collection agency, but they were not cooperative. She called the apartment complex, and they were going to email their lease agreement.
She stated she has not received an email from them, and they will not return her calls. She said she wished to prosecute if a subject was identified.