(WSVN) – Here is one we hope you never get: a bill for $16,000 worth of dental work, backed by a loan you allegedly signed. It shocked one South Florida couple, and it’s why they turned to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
In countries across the world, people dream of being able to do what the Bonillas have done in America.
Daniela Bonilla: “My families are from Nicaragua. They came 30-plus years over here to Miami.”
Auxilio and her husband worked hard, have a nice place to live and had two daughters.
Daniela Bonilla: “Thanks to them, we finished school, we work now. We have our good jobs.”
A close family that fortunately keeps an eye on each other.
Daniela Bonilla: “And I saw that my credit, my dad’s credit, had a delinquent account.”
While doing a routine check of her parents’ credit scores, Daniela found they were accused of borrowing money and not repaying it.
Daniela Bonilla: “I learned that they took out a loan of $10,000 under my dad’s name, and they took one for my mom for $6,400.”
The loans were to pay for dental work, but Daniela says her parents hadn’t borrowed the money and hadn’t had any dental work.
So she called the clinic.
Daniela Bonilla: “Basically, she said that it’s that my parents co-signed for somebody, which they did not.”
The loans were taken out in October and left her parents owing $900 a month.
After speaking to the clinic, Daniela notified the police and called the lender.
Daniela Bonilla: “And also, Lending Club sent me the alleged agreements that my parents signed, and the signatures don’t match or anything.”
The signatures didn’t match her parents’, but the person who filled out the online application did have a copy of her father’s driver’s license.
So who had his license, and who got the $16,000 worth of dental work? The clinic wouldn’t release the name.
Daniela Bonilla: “I don’t have no information [about] who must have done this.”
Daniela’s parents now have to repay $16,000 at 26% interest – paying for dental work for someone they don’t even know.
Daniela Bonilla: “They are frustrated. They don’t know what to do.”
The Bonillas are proof America is filled with great opportunities … but we also have a few crooks, so legally, how do the Bonillas get out of this mess, Howard?
Howard Finkelstein: “You don’t have to prove you didn’t borrow the money. The lender has to prove you did, and because there are no emails from the Bonillas to the loan company, there are no legitimate signatures from the couple. Neither got dental work and didn’t know the person who got it. Add it all up, it seems it’s fraud, and the debt the Bonillas owe should be wiped out.”
We contacted the Navarro Dental Group, who referred us to their attorney. He said the patient claimed to be the niece of the Bonillas.
The Bonillas said they don’t have a niece. After that, the dentist’s office returned the $16,400 to the lender, meaning the dentist took a financial hit.
The lender then sent the Bonillas a letter saying they no longer owed the money, and they had notified the credit bureaus to “delete this fraudulent tradeline from your credit report.”
Daniela Bonilla: “I feel good because, you know, we were able to resolve this.”
And we discovered the woman who took out the loan was named Maria. She said she didn’t take out the loan and didn’t get the dental work done.
But the Bonillas aren’t stopping. They want police to file charges against the person who put them through this.
Daniela Bonilla: “Because they wouldn’t want this to happen to anybody else, because it’s been a nightmare.”
Glad we could help, and I don’t know how someone got away with this, but the Bonillas hope the police go after the suspect to get some answers.
Now, if your identity is stolen, there are several things you need to do. The link to those tips are at the end of this Help Me Howard. Check it out, so things turn out well for you like they did for the Bonillas.
Feel like you have fallen into a cavity battling a problem? Aching to get it resolved? Let us brush up on the law and take a bite out of it for you.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
What to do if you think you’re a victim of identity theft? Visit this link.
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Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
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