AN ACCOUNT ON MY CREDIT REPORT IS NOT MINE: WHAT SHOULD I DO?

​You check your credit report and find a credit card, loan, or collection account you do not recognize.  The balance may be substantial. There may be missed payments attached to your name. You may discover the account only after a lender turns you down. This can be shocking or even traumatizing to many consumers, but it is not as uncommon as you may think.

An unknown or unfamiliar account deserves a closer look and there are plenty of options for dealing with identity theft or unknown accounts on your credit report. The unknown accounts on your credit report could be the result of identity theft, someone else’s information being mixed into your file, or a legitimate account listed under an unfamiliar company name. Identifying what happened helps you explain the error and seek the right correction.

Why Someone Else’s Account Might Appear on Your Credit Report

Identity Theft

​Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal identifying information without permission, such as your name, date of birth, social security number, and even addresses. If someone else used your identity to open a credit card or obtain a loan, that account may be reported as though you opened the account and you could be deemed responsible for the balance or missed payments by the credit bureaus when you fail to properly dispute fraudulent accounts on your credit report. An identity theft lawyer can help you navigate complex identity theft issues to address the fraudulent reporting and can help you evaluate responses to your credit disputes.  

A Mixed Credit File

​A mixed file happens when a credit bureau combines information belonging to different people. Similar names or other identifying details can contribute to the mistake. You do not have to be an identity theft victim to have another person’s account appear on your credit report. Both mixed files and fraudulent accounts due to identity theft are common and recognized types of credit reporting errors affecting consumers. 

An Unfamiliar Name on a Legitimate Account

​Before treating an account as fraudulent, check whether the name belongs to a store card issuer, loan servicer, debt buyer, or collection agency connected to an account you recognize. Also check whether you were listed as an authorized user. An unfamiliar name alone does not establish identity theft, and being an authorized user is different from being responsible for the debt as an account owner.

Review the Actual Credit Reports

​You should first obtain your reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion through AnnualCreditReport.com. A credit-monitoring alert can flag a problem, but the full report usually provides more information for identifying and disputing it. Checking your own reports typically does not lower your credit score. 

Compare the account name, partial account number, opening date, payment history, and reported balance. Note which bureaus show the account. Look for unfamiliar addresses or variations in your identifying information, and save complete copies of the reports with their dates.

You do not need to know exactly how a company made the mistake before reporting it. You should prepare a credit dispute and provide as much information and supporting documentation or materials as you can. Your credit dispute should explain what you know, identify what is inaccurate about your credit report, and avoid guessing or speculating about facts you may not currently know.

Dispute the Account With Each Bureau Reporting It

​Your dispute should clearly identify the account and explain why it does not belong to you. If you never applied for or opened the account, you should explain this in your credit dispute to the bureaus. If you believe the bureau mixed your file with another person’s, explain the identifying differences. Include relevant documents and request correction or removal of the inaccurate information. You should also list the supporting materials you provide with your dispute in the actual dispute so there is a clear record of the information you provided to the bureaus in support of your credit dispute. You should also send your credit dispute and supporting materials to each bureau by certified mail so that there is proof of mailing and delivery of your dispute in case the bureaus later claim they did not receive your dispute. 

You should also keep your original records including copies of your dispute, the materials provided along with your dispute, and proof mailing. Send copies of supporting materials, and preserve the exact dispute you submitted, any attachments, and delivery or submission confirmations. Each bureau reporting the error should receive its own dispute. 

You can also notify the company supplying the information, known as the furnisher. Our explanation of direct and indirect credit report disputes describes why a bureau dispute has separate legal significance. A complaint to the creditor alone does not trigger the furnisher duties under FCRA § 1681s-2(b); those duties arise when the furnisher receives the required dispute notice from a bureau. 

If It Is Identity Theft, Consider a Blocking Request Too

​Report the theft through IdentityTheft.gov and review the recovery steps, including preparing an Identity Theft Affidavit. Fraud alerts and security freezes can help protect against additional identity theft, misuse, but they do not themselves remove an existing fraudulent account. A freeze must be requested separately with each bureau you want to freeze. 

The FCRA also provides a distinct procedure for blocking identity theft information. Subject to statutory exceptions, a bureau must block the identified information within four business days after receiving appropriate proof of identity, an identity theft report, identification of the fraudulent information, and a statement that it does not relate to a transaction you made. This procedure applies to identity theft, not every unfamiliar-account dispute. 
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Our identity theft resources provide a starting point for gathering the documents and taking protective steps.

What If the Account Is Verified as Yours?

​Read the dispute investigation result and compare it with a fresh credit report. An account can be updated without the ownership error being fixed. If the dispute response says the information was verified, that does not conclusively establish that the investigation was reasonable and often times it signals the exact opposite - an unreasonable investigation. Most credit bureaus rely on the furnisher to investigate identity theft and then parrot the furnisher's response without conducting a separate or independent investigation of your credit dispute and the identity theft. Meanwhile, the furnisher's investigation may consist of little more than merely verifying that your name and personal information matches the reported account information.  This ordinarily does not result in correction of your credit report after identity theft.

For example, merely matching your name to an account does not resolve a documented claim that someone used your identity without permission. It only confirms that the identity theft happened. That is why detailed credit report disputes and providing supporting documentation along with your disputes is important. The nature of the dispute and the information available to the company are crucial when evaluating the dispute results and the reasonableness of an investigation of a credit dispute. 

You should also save any credit denials, lender communications, higher-rate offers, or other records showing the consequences of the error. If the identity theft or inaccurate account information remains, those records can help an attorney assess whether a bureau or furnisher violated the FCRA and caused harm.

Get Help With an Account That Does Not Belong to You

​HADOUS|CO. helps consumers with genuine account ownership errors, identity theft, and other inaccurate credit reporting. We can review your reports, disputes, and responses to determine the next steps and whether the facts support an FCRA claim.
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If a fraudulent account remains on your report, request a free identity theft consultation. For other ownership or reporting mistakes, contact our credit dispute lawyers.