According to a recent survey, only about one-third of Americans have checked their credit reports over the course of the last year. This is down from almost 40% in 2019.
If you’re a part of this disturbing trend, you should set out to check your credit report as soon as you can. Otherwise, you might let credit report errors linger around and drag your credit score down over time.
It’s important for you to make it a point to look at your credit report at least once each year. It’ll help you to dispute credit reports and remove credit report inaccuracies from them.
Want to know how to dispute a credit report when you find yourself saying, “My credit report is wrong”? Today, we’re going to talk at length about where to dispute a credit report and what to do while you’re going through the process.
See how to dispute credit reports below.
Start by Securing a Copy of Your Credit Report
Before you can even think about trying to dispute credit reports, you’re going to need to get your hands on a copy of your credit report. It’s very easy to do this in this day and age.
You used to have to fork over a nice chunk of change to obtain a copy of your credit report. But nowadays, you’re entitled to get free copies of your credit report by law.
You should take full advantage of this by making it your mission to check your credit report on a regular basis. It’ll make it possible for you to catch credit report errors early on rather than allowing them to sit on your credit report and hurt your credit score.
Look Through Your Credit Report for Errors
Once you have a copy of your credit report in your hands, you should get right down to business by combing through it to see if you can uncover any credit report errors. There are so many different types of errors that might make an appearance on your credit report.
For example, you might see:
- A credit card account that you don’t recognize
- A derogatory mark that is more than seven years old
- A personal loan payment that was inadvertently marked as being late
- A mortgage balance that is way higher than it should be
- An address that isn’t connected to you in any way
In the past, studies have shown that over 30% of people have at least one error on their credit reports. This means that there’s a good chance that you’ll find something that doesn’t look right on yours.
Gather the Materials You’ll Need to Dispute Credit Report Errors
In a perfect world, you’ll skim through your credit report and find that it doesn’t have any errors on it. Most people aren’t going to have to dispute credit reports.
But of course, everyone isn’t this lucky. You might come across at least one thing on your credit report that looks out of place. And you’ll want to make every effort to dispute it right away.
Prior to doing this, though, you should gather whatever materials you think you’re going to need to support your case. This might include things like:
- Credit card statements
- Receipts from personal loan lenders
- Bills that show your address
A lot of people try to dispute credit reports by simply saying, “My credit report is wrong,” without showing any evidence to back up their claim. You should avoid doing this by creating a strong case for yourself.
Dispute Any Credit Report Inaccuracies You Find in the Right Way
After you’ve identified credit report inaccuracies and put together materials to show that you have errors on your credit report, you’ll need to make things official. You’re going to have to dispute credit reports through all three of the major credit bureaus.
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion have all made it very easy for people to dispute credit reports online. You can go here to file a dispute through Equifax, go here to file a dispute through Experian, and go here to file a dispute through TransUnion.
It’s imperative for people to dispute credit reports through each credit bureau. It’ll help you avoid having credit report errors on one credit report and not the others.
Call On a Lawyer for Assistance If You Need It
As long as you dispute credit reports properly, you shouldn’t have any trouble convincing the credit bureaus to remove them from your credit report. But if they’re not on board with doing it for whatever reason, you might have to welcome a lawyer into the mix.
More specifically, you’ll want to begin working with a lawyer who specializes in consumer protection. They can speak with you about the errors on your credit report and show you how to go about removing them from a legal standpoint.
Continue to Check Your Credit Report Regularly to Make Sure Errors Disappear
Whether you dispute credit reports on your own or call on a lawyer to help you, the important thing is going to be making sure errors are removed from your credit reports ASAP. You’ll want to check up on your credit reports a few months about disputing errors to be sure they’re gone for good.
You’ll also want to set reminders for yourself so that you continue to check your credit report early and often in the future. It’s the only surefire way to stop credit report inaccuracies from popping back up on your credit report and staying on it for extended periods of time.
People Can Dispute Credit Reports and Improve Their Credit Scores
If you suspect that you might have errors on your credit report, do something about them! People have the right to dispute credit reports whenever they want.
Doing it might help you increase your credit score by leaps and bounds. It could quite literally change your financial future and put you in a much better position as you move forward in life.
Get more legal tips pertaining to credit reports by browsing through the other great articles posted on our informative blog.
