How to Fix Mistakes in a Credit Report
Question: I have always thought I had good credit. I pay my bills on time and don’t carry credit card balances. But when I moved into my current apartment, the landlord ran a credit check on me. It wasn’t horrible — my credit score was 683 — but certainly wasn’t as good as I had imagined.
A few things on the report caught my attention. First, the report has Fresno as one of the cities where I used to live. Not only have I never lived in California, but I have never even set foot in the state. Second, it appears that I am in collections for some long-distance phone charges when in fact I have never had an account with the company that’s listed. How can I get these errors cleared off my record?
Answer: Collection agencies have become increasingly aggressive about seeking payment on old debts, and some of them aren’t too picky about making sure they’re going after the right people. The result is that someone else’s collection account can land on your credit report, as apparently happened here.
Start by pulling your credit reports from all three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You’re entitled to free reports from each of the bureaus once a year under federal law by calling (877) 322-8228 or visiting the bureaus’ central website, at http://www.annualcreditreport.com .
With your reports, you’ll be given instructions on how to dispute errors. With any luck, the erroneous entries will disappear. If not, you’ll have to take your fight directly to the collection agency.
It’s also possible, although less likely, that you’re the victim of identity theft. In that case you might want to check out the Identity Theft Resources Center at http://www.idtheftcenter.org .
Don’t rest until you’ve resolved this issue. The score you have now could cost you thousands of dollars of unnecessary interest should you need a loan.
- Source: Los Angeles Times, May 28, 2006
