A vehicle loan was opened in my name

This notice

The welcome letter, first payment notice, dealer paperwork, or credit-report tradeline says a vehicle loan or auto retail installment was opened in your name. You did not apply.

Recent CFPB complaints describe the same surprise with Credit Acceptance, Westlake Financial, Ally, Santander Consumer, Exeter, and similar auto finance companies. Some people got a “your new auto loan” welcome letter. Some got a first-payment coupon. Some only saw a vehicle account on a credit report or a collection notice about a car they never bought.

The CFPB page What do I do if I am a victim of identity theft? treats that as identity theft. Someone used your information to open credit. The CFPB page How can I spot identity theft? says to watch credit reports for accounts you did not open and inquiries from companies you never contacted.

This is not a credit card opened without consent. A plastic card or first credit-card bill is a different product. The IdentityTheft.gov path is the same sibling route, but the company you call is the auto lender or retail installment finance company on the notice.

It is also not a checking or savings account opened without consent. A debit card or deposit welcome mail is a bank product. This paper names a vehicle loan, auto account, or installment contract.

It is not a Notice of Right to Cure or a repossession sale notice on a car loan you did take out. Those papers assume you are the borrower in default. This notice is a loan you never requested.

Official path

1. Call the fraud or security number on the welcome letter, first bill, or the lender’s public site. Say you did not apply for the vehicle loan and did not buy the car. Ask them to close or freeze the account and stop reporting it as yours. The CFPB identity-theft page says to close affected accounts and contact the fraud department. The FTC alert How to recover from identity theft says the same first step.

2. Write down the date, the agent’s name, and any claim or reference number. Follow the call with a short letter or secure message so you have a paper trail. Do not sign dealer or “confirm your loan” forms that arrive with the surprise notice.

3. Report the theft at IdentityTheft.gov. The CFPB page says you will get an Identity Theft Report and a recovery plan. Save the PDF. Scammers impersonate the FTC. Type the address yourself. Do not use a link from a call or text.

4. Order your reports at AnnualCreditReport.com. Circle every vehicle loan, inquiry, or collection you did not open. The spot-identity-theft page says to review credit reports for accounts you did not open.

5. Place a fraud alert with one nationwide bureau. The CFPB identity-theft page says that bureau must tell the other two. Place a security freeze at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion one by one if you want to block new credit checks. The CFPB page What is a credit freeze or security freeze on my credit report? says a freeze at one bureau does not freeze the others.

6. Send the Identity Theft Report, proof of identity, and a letter naming the fake auto account to each bureau. The CFPB identity-theft page says bureaus must block identity-theft information within four business days after they receive a complete request. They must also tell the furnisher. After that notice, the page says the creditor cannot turn that identity-theft debt over to collectors.

7. Submit a complaint at Submit a complaint if the lender keeps billing you, keeps the tradeline open, or will not confirm a fraud close-out in writing. Attach the Identity Theft Report, the welcome letter or first-payment notice, and your close-account notes.

People in CFPB narratives often dispute only with a bureau and skip the auto lender. The official pages win that conflict. Close the loan account, then use IdentityTheft.gov.

What people reported

Often helps

• Calling the auto lender the same day the welcome letter or first-payment notice arrived, then filing IdentityTheft.gov before the first due date.
• Sending the Identity Theft Report to all three bureaus, then checking that the fake vehicle tradeline was blocked.

Often fails

• Making the thief’s first auto payment “so it stays current,” or only mailing a bureau dispute with no Identity Theft Report. CFPB narratives still showed the account open, billed, or sold to collectors.

Template

[DATE]

[LENDER / FINANCE COMPANY NAME]
Fraud / Unauthorized vehicle loan
[ADDRESS ON THE WELCOME LETTER, FIRST BILL, OR LENDER SITE]

Re: Vehicle loan opened without my application, account ending [LAST FOUR]

I am writing about a vehicle loan or auto retail installment in my name that I did not apply for. I learned of it on [DATE] from [WELCOME LETTER / FIRST PAYMENT NOTICE / CREDIT REPORT]. I did not authorize this account, any vehicle purchase, or any payments.

On [PHONE DATE] I called [NUMBER] and asked you to close the account. The reference number is [NUMBER].

I reported identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov on [DATE]. My Identity Theft Report is enclosed. Please close the account, reverse unauthorized charges, release any claimed security interest tied to this fraud account, and stop reporting this account as mine.

Please send written confirmation that the account is closed as fraud and that you have notified the credit bureaus.

Enclosed are copies of [WELCOME LETTER / FIRST BILL / IDENTITY THEFT REPORT / CREDIT REPORT PAGE], not originals.

[FULL NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[PHONE]
[EMAIL]

Enclosures: [LIST]

Stop here if…

• You were served a lawsuit, summons, or collection complaint about this auto account. Court dates are not the same as a fraud close-out.
• The loan is on a car you did finance, and the paper is a right-to-cure, repossession, or plan-to-sell notice. That is a default or sale clock, not a loan you never applied for.
• A caller claiming to be the FTC or your lender told you to wire money, buy gift cards, or read a code. Hang up and use IdentityTheft.gov yourself.

FAQ

Does calling the auto lender finish the job?

No. The CFPB identity-theft page says to close affected accounts and then report at IdentityTheft.gov. That site gives you an Identity Theft Report and a recovery plan. Use that report when you ask the credit bureaus to block the fake auto tradeline.

Should I make the first payment so the loan does not go delinquent?

Do not treat the thief’s auto loan as yours. The CFPB identity-theft page is about identity theft, not catching up a loan you opened. Pay only if a later official instruction on your IdentityTheft.gov plan says to do so for a specific item.

Is this the same as a credit card or checking account opened without consent?

No. Those guides cover a plastic card or a deposit account. This page is a vehicle loan, retail installment contract, or auto finance tradeline you never applied for. The close-and-report steps are similar, but you call the auto lender or finance company named on the welcome letter, first payment notice, or credit-report line.

Is a fraud alert the same as a freeze?

No. The CFPB identity-theft page says a fraud alert at one nationwide bureau must be shared with the other two. A security freeze is not shared. The freeze page says you must place a freeze at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion one by one.

A caller said they were the FTC and told me to move money. Is that real?

No. The CFPB identity-theft page says the FTC never threatens you or tells you to transfer money, withdraw cash, or buy gold to protect it. Hang up. Type IdentityTheft.gov yourself.