In our previous blog we talked about how your credit info can be mixed with another person’s credit history in your family if they have the same name. Actually, they don’t have to be related to you as long as they live close to you. For example, in the same community of even in the same county.
The bottom line? If your name is John Smith, you should check your credit report more frequently than if your name is Ferdinand Farouk.
So, if you fall victim to one of these major mix ups what can you do?? The only thing you can do. Dispute!!
Now anyone can sit down and dispute a trade line on their credit report. You simply go to the appropriate web site published by the three major credit repositories: experian.com, equifax.com or trans union.com and follow the instructions. However, before you dispute a trade line you need to understand something about the disputing process.
As you enter the dispute section on the site, the respective repository will give you a list of eight or ten reasons or categories you should you use as the focal point of your dispute. Please focus your dispute on one of those categories. Remember, all three repositories receive hundreds of dispute letters every day. Be brief and to the point. They don’t want to hear your sad story about your midlife crisis dream car. Just stick to the facts.
In this example we will use the most popular of all of the categories: “this is not my account”.
January 21, 2015
Experian
PO Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
Re: Dispute Letter
Dear sir or madam:
I recently reviewed my credit report and found the following inaccurate information. I formally request that the following inaccurate items be immediately investigated.
Company name ref#
Mercer county clerk ref #276919
Mercer county ref #219297
These are not my accounts. Please check your records. I have never lived at 123 Main St. Or Blairstown, NJ. My SS# is 123-45-6789. You have my information mixed with another John Doe. Please correct your records and remove the above information from my credit profile.
Thirty days from the receipt of this letter is your allotted time under the law to re-verify these entries. (FCRA 15 US s168li (5)(a)). I would appreciate a response form you within the allotted time period prescribed by law or sooner, if possible.
Also pursuant to 15 USC s 168li(6)(a) of the fair credit reporting act, please notify me when my credit report has been corrected and send an updated copy of my credit report to the address above. According to the provisions of 15 USC section 168lj, there should be no charge for this notification. Finally, I would appreciate if you would send me a copy of the names and addresses of all those you have notified of these changes so I may follow up with them.
Thank you,
John Doe