Dispute a False Credit Report

Consumers have rights about what is reported about themselves on a credit report. There are instances in which a credit reporting agency, or credit bureau reports information that is incorrect on a credit report, and this can cause a serious problem for the consumer, including:

• Loss of credit by a current creditor closing/reducing a line of credit
• Loss of credit by a denied application

Fortunately, if there is an error on your credit report, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives you the right to dispute the inaccurate report and demand a reasonable investigation into the error. The FCRA requires credit bureaus to report with “maximum possible accuracy,” and if they do in fact make an error and do not recognize your complaint, you may be able to dispute the credit report error and recover your losses.

In order to dispute a credit report error, you will need to:

• Collect proof that the credit report is wrong
  • Proof of payment bill
  • Letter from your creditor
  • Proper ID if the report has information that does not belong to you
• Write a letter to the credit reporting agency disputing the items on the credit report that are inaccurate

The written dispute of your credit report should:

• Be written and mailed to the three largest credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax and Trans Union
• Be copied and mailed to any creditor who is listed on the incorrect report

If the credit reporting agency does not provide you with a reasonable investigation into your dispute, you may be entitled to monetary damages. Contact The Consumer Advocacy Center at 312-782-5808 and find out how we can help you.