Individuals are finding themselves subject to identity theft more often. Becoming a victim of identity theft can be upsetting. Therefore, it is extremely important to take steps to protect yourself from this type of fraud.
Identifying Fraud on Your Credit Report
A credit report provides detailed information about all of your debts. This means that secured and unsecured debts will be shown on your credit report including any activity on those accounts. Any activity on an account stays on a credit report for 7 years. A credit history will tell you which accounts you have opened, any judgments you have against you, the outstanding balances on a line of credit, any repossessions or any other financial activity.
If you are a victim of fraud on your credit report, then you can start by changing all of your login information and contacting the banks who extended your credit. You can also alert all of the credit bureaus and ask them to put a freeze on your account. This means reporting it to the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Transunion, and Experian. You should also file a police report. These are all steps that you can take for free.
A credit freeze will stop anyone from pulling any credit reports or obtaining new lines of credit under your name. You can remove this freeze at any time by contacting the credit bureaus. This will ensure that these thieves can’t open new lines of credit under your name. Even if you are not a victim of identity theft, you can still place a freeze on your account if you have lost your personal information and are worried about someone opening lines of credit under your name.
It is important to regularly confirm with the credit bureaus that all of your information is up to date. This means making sure your address, phone number, and name are all up to date so that the credit bureaus can contact you if you choose to put a fraud alert on your accounts.
How Can I Dispute Fraud On My Credit Report?
If you are a victim of identity theft and discover fraud on your credit report, you will need to contact the three major credit bureaus and file a complaint under the FDCPA. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, provides statutory remedies for victims of identity theft if a creditor fails to remove this from a credit report. If the credit bureaus still refuse to remove these false items, our lawyers can file a claim in Federal Court against these creditors to try and get them to remove this fraudulent activity.
Where Can I dispute False Information on My Credit Report?
To dispute false information on your credit report, you can send each of the three major credit bureaus a letter at:
Transunion.com
Fraud Victim Assistance Department P.O. ox 2000 Chester, PA 19016
Equifax.com
P.O. box 105069 Atlanta Georgia, 30348
Experian.com
P.O. Box 9554 Allen. Texas 75013
To learn more about how we can help you file a complaint under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you can contact us at (973)-979-9078. We are here to guide you and explain how we can help pursue any rights that may be available to you.