Credit reports are a vital part of our identity, and it’s important to know what to do if you find an error on your credit report. Whether the error is caused by fraud or a mistake on the part of the credit reporting agency, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from future issues.
What is a credit report?
A credit report is a document that contains information about your credit history. It can contain errors, which might be caused by fraudulent activity, identity theft, or mistakes on the part of the credit reporting agency. Credit repair helps you to resolve these errors with your credit report.
What happens if my credit report is incorrect?
If you find an inaccurate listing on your credit report, it’s important to know what steps to take. When you find that there is an error in your credit report, here are a few things you can do:
- Contact the reporting agency to understand why they made the mistake
- Find out if there are other mistakes on your credit report
- Make sure any negative listings have been removed or corrected
- If you need help with this process, contact a qualified attorney
How can I dispute an incorrect item on my credit report?
If you find an error on your credit report, you can dispute the incorrect item by contacting the credit reporting agency. For example, say you pay your rent online and the landlord sends a paper check to their bank after they receive the online payment, which is then deposited into your account. If the landlord fails to inform the credit reporting agency that there was an electronic deposit instead of a paper check, this could cause a problem with your credit report.
It is important to note that if you file a dispute with the credit reporting agency, it will take time for them to review your case. So, if you want to change something on your credit report as soon as possible, consider filing a fraud alert with one of the big three credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion, in order to have immediate access to updates about your credit status.
How do I get help from the FTC to fix inaccuracies in my credit report?
If you find an error on your credit report, you can file a complaint and contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to get help. The FTC will investigate your claim and if it validates, they’ll work with the credit reporting agency to fix the issue.
Even if you have a dispute with a company or a collector that is not working with the FTC, they can still help you.
Conclusion
Credit reports can be confusing, with different companies involved and your personal information often used for marketing purposes. If you see an error on your credit report, it’s important to know what you can do about it. If you disagree with an item on your credit report, or know that it is inaccurate, you should take the appropriate actions to get the issue resolved as quickly as possible.