FISGlobal.com / Certegy

I had an ACH debit returned from a merchant because the merchant failed to change my billing information when I told them I had closed a bank account and instructed them to change my billing information. Fair enough, mistakes happen. The first I heard of the returned debit was a phone call from Certegy's collection division, CPS.

I phoned CPS to let them know their client's error had caused the returned ACH. I offered to pay them the face amount of the charge, on the phone, immediately, but the $25 fee would have to come from the merchant who made the billing error. CPS would not help me and referred me to Certegy.

The call center rep at Certegy said he would not take any information without my driver's license number "for verification." I told him that since he had already verified my identity to his satisfaction and my license number had nothing to do with the transaction, I would decline. He informed me that since Certegy would be using my license number to decline checks in retail stores where I presented the license for ID, he needed that information before listening to the dispute.

I asked for Certegy's physical address so I could contact BBB, the FTC and the Florida AG's office for their area. He insisted that their physical address is a post office box. I pointed out the irony of demanding unnecessary information before investigating a dispute while at the same time refusing to give up the address of a supposedly reputable company, and the conversation went downhill from there.

So I have a debt I've offered to pay but they won't take payment without my giving them enough information for an unscrupulous employee to steal my identity, just "for verification." They reserve the right to ding my credit report and attempt to humiliate me in Wal-Mart (or wherever) if I attempt to write a check. But my driver's license number is critically important for them to do anything about the dispute.

Interesting phrase, "for verification." In my work (I teach about financial fraud), I point out that fraudulent telemarketers often use that phrase to gather social security numbers and credit card numbers (Rachel from Card Services and her staff use that phrase a lot). So on one hand I go out and teach that the fraudsters use slimy phrases like "for verification" to steal money... while on the other hand, a supposedly reputable firm like Certegy uses the identical phrase to collect information that clearly is unrelated and unnecessary to resolve a dispute. Hmmm...

I have had trouble writing checks @Best Buy & Walgreens.This company is a joke and retailers shouldn't go by there opinions, that is all they go by.They told my husband that it had nothing to do with our checking account but our account had similiaries to someone, a stranger, who wrote a check up to four years ago.So now I have to worry about a stranger's credit report!I will NOT be going to Best Buy or Walgreens in the future.Walmart & CVS happily take my checks!If everyone would stop going to the stores that use this company then maybe they will change check writing companies.My next call is to complain to Walgreens!
T. Worley