Credit Reports Galore - denied free experian equifax

Lisa Carey asked:


Errors on your credit report may take a variety of forms from simple spelling errors or no new address reported to fraudulent uses of your credit to obtain financing for purchases. There are two different ways to correct or “dispute” this information; online or in writing.

If you need a credit report visit “An Overview of the Fair Credit Reporting Act” http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/an_overview_of_the_fair_credit_reporting_act_what.html for information on how to obtain your free credit report and why you are entitled to one.

Here is a step by step process for disputing your credit report information:

It is important that you receive your credit report from all three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax-800-685-1111 www.equifax.com ; Experian-888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742) www.experian.com ; TransUnion-800-916-8800, www.transunion.com: as different credit companies report to different agencies. Not all creditors use only one and the incorrect information may appear in different reports. You may obtain your credit report online for free one time a year, with each additional report costing and additional sum, usually $10.00. If you are obtaining your first free annual credit report it will include all three agencies, you do not need to request one for each. However, you may find it more cost effective to use a credit monitoring system with a yearly fee that gives you all three credit reports in one on a periodic basis which you determine.

Next, review your credit report and mark the incorrect information. You may wish to print your report out to do this - especially if you have several mistakes or errors. Be sure to record the name, address, amount and account number if available in your notes.

Third, write the credit reporting agency a letter indicating that specific information if incorrect.

Fourth, attach to the letter any supporting documentation to dispute the inaccurate information. I recommend that one of your attachments be a copy of your credit report with specific errors circled or noted in some manner. You may wish to number them and then address as each numbered point within your letter, especially if you have several errors or mistakes. For example, there were errors on my credit report that all listed a false address and a variation of my name. I provided proof of my name over the period of several years, proof that the address did not exist and proof regarding my primary address that was listed on one, as it was not my address but a rental property.

NOTE: The most important thing you need to do when attaching documents is to include COPIES. Do not send originals as you may need that information for another report or in the future.

Fifth, write another letter to the credit lender providing the information. Indicate to them that you have filed a dispute with the credit reporting agency (Naming it specifically) and provide a copy of supporting documentation of the dispute to that information provider also.

If you are using a credit monitoring system online you may be able to eliminate many of these steps. In many of the better versions of a credit monitoring system, as you pull up the details of each account it offers you the option to “dispute” the information. You simply click on dispute and it will automatically pull up the account information you are disputing. You then has a small amount of space to indicate why you dispute the information and click submit.

After filing either your written letter or online dispute the credit reporting agency will investigate the information and determine if your dispute is accurate or not. They also forward all the information you have provided to the credit lender. Usually within approximately 30 days a decision is made as to the accurateness of the information and the credit lender must provide all three major credit reporting agencies with the corrected information. Also when the investigation is complete, you are entitled to the results in writing; a free corrected copy of your credit report; and if you request it a corrected copy of your credit report may be submitted to other credit providers that you may be trying to obtain credit from. For example, you may discover the errors while attempting to purchase a car or home. A corrected copy will be provided to the lender upon your request. If your dispute is denied, resubmit it with additional documentation or contact the credit reporting agency to determine what information would be convincing.

Disputing your credit is not something you need to hire a specialist to do, and many of those “get help repairing your credit report” programs are scams that are used to obtain your information for their own identity theft purposes or just to make money. Remember, negative information on your report that is correct can not be removed, no matter what someone may offer. This is a simple easy process, which involves very little cost to you. The only cost you incur is your postage and copies. For just a few dollars and a little effort you can save yourself money and permanent damages to your credit report. It’s well worth the effort.

Sample letter:

* Date

Your Name

Your Address, City, State, Zip Code

Complaint Department

Name of Company

Address

City, State, Zip Code

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to dispute the following information in my file. I have circled the items I dispute on the attached copy of the report I received.

This item (identify item(s) disputed by name of source, such as creditors or tax court, and identify type of item, such as credit account, judgment, etc.) is (inaccurate or incomplete) because (describe what is inaccurate or incomplete and why). I am requesting that the item be removed (or request another specific change) to correct the information.

Enclosed are copies of (use this sentence if applicable and describe any enclosed documentation, such as payment records, court documents) supporting my position. Please reinvestigate this (these) matter(s) and (delete or correct) the disputed item(s) as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Your name

Enclosures: (List what you are enclosing.)

* Source: Federal Trade Commission



SON

Steve Evans asked:


et your free online Experian Credit Report at the FreeCreditReport web site when you sign up for a free trial of Triple AdvantageSM Credit Monitoring. Simply fill out your information for identification purposes, answer a few questions and your credit report will be available to you on-line, in no time at all, once your identity has been confirmed.

Your Username and Password will enable you to view your credit report on some of these services for 30 days over the Internet in the most secure environment that they can provide. You will also have access to an array of benefits located in services like - My Credit Center.

Getting your free Credit Report and Credit Score is the first step in knowing your credit. Monitoring your credit report allows you to stay on top of your credit on a daily basis.

You should do this to take the guesswork out of what/\’s happening with your credit.

Your credit is one of your most important assets. Having good credit means you should have more options to borrow money at the lowest cost and from the best lenders. It also means that others who look at your credit such as landlords, insurance companies, or even prospective employers re less likely to turn you away or penalize you because you have poor credit.

Your personal credit report contains such information as your name, current and previous addresses, phone number, Social Security number, date of birth, and current and previous employers. Your spouse/\’s name may appear on your version of the credit report, but it will not appear on the version that is provided to others. This information comes from your credit applications, so its accuracy depends on your filling out the forms clearly, completely and consistently each time you apply for credit.

Creditreport.imess.net is worth a try. Many people say they have used it to monitor their credit and some have said that they also cleaned off some bad items from their credit report. You can apply for a free initial plan and get your scores and reports for free.

In all your thoughts about credit reporting do keep in mind there are 3 reporting agencies. If you keep track of when you pull each of the three then you can spread it out to one every 4 months. That would be ideal if you could do that.

Freecreditreport.com, Experian, Transunion, Equifax are all in it to make some money from providing these reports. So many people are asking where they can get a genuine free credit report without having to give up my credit card information and sign up for some monthly membership or a dumb “identity theft monitoring alert” service?

Unfortunately, in order to get your credit report a lot of the websites ask for your credit card information. They do that so when you sign up for a free trial if you don/\’t cancel within that time they can charge your account. Myfico.com is one of the best ones out there. I understand that users have reported that they signed up for there free 30 day trial and also cancelled it before the 30 days was up and indeed didn/\’t get charged anything.

What is a free credit report?

The answer lies in the last three words of your question and is self-explanatory. A free credit report is when a credit bureau provides an individual a copy of their credit report without a charge.

It/\’s exactly what it says it is. A free credit report.. in other words, you don/\’t have to pay for it.

Am I entitled for a free credit report?

I am not sure whether this is correct, but I have been told that residents of Colorado, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, and Vermont are entitled under state law to one free report per year from a credit reporting agency. If you are a resident of Georgia, you are even entitled to more reports at two each year.

This is very useful especially if you have been denied credit on the basis of information in a credit report.

Who is eligible?

I am not a legal expert but I did find a statement on the web that said that based on the Fair Credit Reporting Act, sections 612 (b), (c), and (d), you are entitled to one free credit report per year directly from a credit reporting agency only if you certify that you are unemployed and seeking employment in the next 60 days, you are receiving public assistance, or you believe there are inaccuracies in your report due to fraud or have been denied credit because of information on your credit report. To get your free credit report, go directly to a credit reporting bureau and have proof of the criteria that entitles you to receive your free credit report.

Information here should not be construed as advice and it is offered without legal responsibility or liability. It must be emphasised that you should consult a professionally qualified individual or company (such as an accountant, financial adviser or solicitor for example) should you need advice on your financial situation, as they will be able to tailor their advice to your situation accordingly.

PERCY