Dispute Errors

There can be errors on your credit report for many reasons and you should take immediate action to correct them. Many people's credit histories have been ruined by errors in a credit report.

Inaccuracies in a credit report can be due to simple human error. For example, a creditor may fail to report information to one or more credit bureaus in a timely manner, or may not report it at all. Or the inaccuracy may be due to faulty data entry at a credit bureau. Whatever the reason, it is important to take these steps to correct the record as soon as possible.

1. Make a copy of your credit report and mark every item you suspect to be incorrect.
2. Write a letter to the reporting agency and explain the disputed items. Request an investigation and send copies of supporting documents.
3. Send another letter to the creditor with whom you disagree.

If the investigation verifies the error, ask that a corrected version of the report be sent to everyone who received the incorrect version.

Credit report errors due to identity theft are on the rise. As important as it has always been to correct issues caused by human error as quickly as possible, it is even more important to immediately correct the ones intentionally caused by identity thieves.