Call 1-877-322-8228. Visit http://www. annualcreditreport. com and enter your information. You can get a copy of your report immediately. Fill out the Annual Credit Report Request Form available at https://www. consumer. ftc. gov/articles/pdf-0093-annual-report-request-form. pdf. Mail the completed form to the address printed on the form.
Also highlight any other errors you see. You can report all mistakes at the same time.
An account that was closed but in good standing can stay on your credit report for up to 10 years. If the credit information is positive, you might want to leave it on your report. A delinquent account that was charged off will remain on your report for seven years plus 180 days from the point you became delinquent. An account in collections will remain on your account for seven years plus 180 days from the date it became delinquent. Also, an account in collections may show up twice on your credit report. It may show up once for delinquency and once for collection.
You can use the Federal Trade Commission’s sample letter, which is available at https://www. consumer. ftc. gov/articles/0384-sample-letter-disputing-errors-your-credit-report.
Equifax’s mailing address is Equifax Information Services, LLC, P. O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30348. [4] X Research source
Equifax should also send you the identity and contact information for the entity that reported the account.
Generally, you should only include a statement of dispute if you have legitimate reasons for disagreeing with Equifax’s decision not to remove the account. For example, you could write, “I never opened this account though Equifax refuses to remove it from my credit history. I am investigating whether I was the victim of identity theft. ”
The FTC also has a helpful sample letter you can use: https://www. consumer. ftc. gov/articles/0485-sample-letter-disputing-errors-your-credit-report-information-providers. Tailor the FTC letter to your situation. If you never opened the account, then ask that it be removed. However, if the account was closed because you were delinquent, then you can explain why you were unable to pay your bills and ask for a good faith deletion. [7] X Research source If you are asking for a good faith deletion, then keep your tone courteous. [8] X Research source Remember, the creditor doesn’t have to remove the closed account information.
For example, a collections account should fall off your credit report after seven years. If the account is six years old, it should fall off in a year. By agreeing to start making payments, however, the account becomes new—it is now zero years old. If you can’t make all of your payments, the creditor will back out of deleting the account, and it won’t fall off for seven more years. [10] X Trustworthy Source US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau U. S. government agency for protecting consumers in the financial sector Go to source
You can reach a lawyer by contacting your local or state bar association and asking for a referral. If you are low income, then look into legal aid, which provides legal help for free or for a reduced price. You can find legal aid by visiting http://www. lsc. gov.
