Changing Personal Info On Your Report
Changing Personal Info On Your Report To make changes to your Name, Date of Birth or Social Security Number (SSN) you’ll need to provide the credit reporting agencies valid supporting documentation that shows the updated information. Examples include: Copy of your driver’s license Copy of your birth certificate Copy of your Social Security card A court order Proof of Address – Mail Received You can mail the necessary documents to: Equifax P.O. Box 105139 Atlanta, GA 30348-5139 Experian P.O. Box 2002 Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016 To Get copy of your credit report please go to: https://thecreditbureau.com/consumer-credit-report/ Contact us if you have any questions. The Credit Bureau Phone Number is: 800-518-1077 Option 4
Victim of Fraud? Freeze Your Credit Report
1) Run your reports asap and look for suspicious activity such as address change, name change, new credit cards and new loans that have been opened without your permission. You will also have access to the customer service line if you need help deciphering the reports. It costs $1 for the first week and $29.90 per month thereafter: https://thecreditbureau.com/consumer-credit-report/ 2) For assistance on how to clear fraudulent activity on your reports, read: Remove Fraudulent Items off your credit report 3) Once you have a handle on your reports and what needs to be addressed, freeze your report immediately. Follow the instructions here: How to Freeze Your Credit Report 4) We recommend continuing the monitoring of your reports – this is because there may be previous activities around the identity theft that has yet to appear on your report, and you need to be able to catch that as soon as it happens. You can also use the score analyzer to see how your score is progressing and what to do to improve your score. 5) If you would like to buy a car or want to apply for a new credit card, you’ll need to temporarily unfreeze your reports. Follow the instructions here to do that: Unfreeze Your Report Then refreeze your reports once you’re done. Freezing only lasts 12 months – you’ll have to refresh it going forward. Questions: Call us at 800-518-1077 Option 4
What is a Charge-Off on your Credit Report?
Below are answers to some commonly asked questions about charge-off notifications on your credit reports. What is a charge-off on your credit report? A charge-off appears on your credit report when a creditor has made all efforts to collect and has been unsuccessful. A charge-off stays on your report for 7 years. You are still responsible to pay the debt. Any delinquent account is subject to charge-off after 120 to 180 days from the date you were late. The charge off will be reported to the credit reporting agencies and will impact your credit score negatively. To ensure sure you are not caught off-guard by a charge-off, we recommend the following: Make sure the credit card companies have your current address, phone and email to avoid missing notifications. Open and respond to any letters that come from your creditors. Contact your creditor if you cannot make the minimum payment. They normally are open to making arrangements to help you with the debt and avoid the charge-off. Register for our credit monitoring service, which will give you access to all three credit reports and alerts you on changes to your credit report. You will also have protection for $1,000,000.00 that will pay for all losses due to identity theft. How does charge-offs turn into collection accounts on your credit report? The creditor will sell your debt to a collection agency. The collection agency will contact you for payment and if you do not open the mail, email or respond to messages in the first 30 days, a collection account will appear on your credit report, and negatively impact your score. So it is important to open all mail and answer the collector’s phone calls or call them back when they leave you a message. A creditor cannot garnish your wages without a judgment or court order. It is very important not to ignore legal notifications and complaints. If you ignore the lawsuit and do not show up in court, the creditor will receive a judgment against you and will have the power to garnish your wages. Questions? Call us. The Credit Bureau Phone Number is: 800-518-1077 Option 4
I Cannot Get a Copy of My Credit Report
I cannot get a copy of my credit report. Am I a victim of fraud? Why bureaus refuse to give me a copy of my credit report? You may be a victim of fraud and your social security has been compromised. When you provide your name, social and address to the bureaus, they cannot match your information with what is inside their database. The credit reporting agencies can help you remedy the situation. We recommend the following: Write a letter to the credit reporting agencies using the addresses below and provide the following: Piece of mail to your current address with your name on it. This proves your present address. Explain that you cannot get a copy of your report. Include a copy of your social security card and driver’s license. Send the letters via certified mail, return receipt requested, or Fed-ex with a “signature required”, so you have documentation proving the credit reporting agency has received your letter. Keep a copy of your letter and all other documents for future reference. The bureaus will correct the problem and you will receive a copy of your credit report by mail. It will take around 30 days. EquifaxP.O. Box 105139Atlanta, GA 30348-5139 ExperianP.O. Box 2002Allen, TX 75013 TransUnionP.O. Box 2000Chester, PA 19016 For further help and questions call us. The Credit Bureau Phone Number is: 800-518-1077 Option 4
Someone Applied for Unemployment in My Name
Unemployment benefit scams are on the rise. If you suspect suspicious activity, we recommend the following steps to be taken immediately: Report the fraud to your previous employer. Keep a record of who you spoke with and when. Report the fraud to your state unemployment benefits agency. You can find it here. Review your credit reports often. For more info on how you can see Equifax, Experian, TransUnion credit reports and your scores for $1 for first week, click here. You’ll have the option to sign up for our top-tier credit monitoring program as well so you can catch fraudulent activity in real time. Report the fraud to FTC here. If you actually received unemployment funds by check or direct deposit, you may receive calls, emails, or texts from thieves claiming you received the money in error and that you must return it. They will pretend they are the the Department of Labor, and claim a mistake has been made. Do not respond. They will ask you to wire the money, or go buy a gift card and give them the card information. Do not reply or answer any of the attempts to give the money back. If you want to verify, place a call yourself or log into your online portal where you will have received a secured message should an error have been made. Call us if you have any questions. The Credit Bureau Phone Number is: 800-518-1077 Option 4
How to Write a Dispute Letter
How to write a dispute letter The following instructions will walk you through how to write a dispute letter to rectify any error on your credit report. Federal law gives you the right to submit a dispute and request an investigation when you discover an error in your credit report. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), both the credit reporting agency and the information provider have responsibilities to correct inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. When you mail your dispute, the credit reporting agency must investigate the items in question – usually within 30 days – unless they consider your dispute frivolous. You need to provide the following: Your name and address where you currently reside. Provide a piece of mail to your current address with your name on it. What you are disputing and why. Supporting documents, payment statements or checks. Indicate which of the provided information should be deleted or corrected. You can include a copy of your credit report with the disputed items circled. Be as clear as possible to make it easy for the Bureaus to understand what needs to be done. Send the letters via certified mail, return receipt requested, or Fed-ex with a “signature required”, so you have documentation proving the credit reporting agency has received your letter. Keep a copy of your letter and all other documents for future reference. Equifax P.O. Box 740256 Atlanta, GA 30374-0256 Experian P.O. Box 4500 Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016 Questions, please call us. The Credit Bureau Phone Number is: 800-518-1077 Option 4
Improving Credit Score with a Secured Credit Card
How A Secured Credit Card Helps Your Credit Report & Score Your credit score is the reflection of your credit worthiness. If you have no credit cards or have never applied for credit, you will have no credit report and score. Also, If you just went through a bankruptcy a secured credit card is the perfect way to start improving your score. Your credit report begins by documenting your first loan, credit card or automobile loan. The score measures your payment history. You will have good score if you pay your debt on time. We highly recommend opening a secured credit card as a good first step. A secured credit card begins with advancing your own money. You can use the secured credit card exactly as you would a normal credit card. But, to fast track ensuring your credit score is positively impacted. we recommend paying the total monthly bill, or if you choose to have a balance, it needs to be very low. Keeping a low healthy balance on your secured credit card is also beneficial. The lower the balance, the higher your score will be. Questions? Please call us. The Credit Bureau Phone Number is: 800-518-1077 Option 4
How to Unfreeze Your Credit Report
How to Unfreeze Your Credit Report Unfreeze your credit report is required if you are taking out loans, buying or leasing a car, purchase or rent a property or open a new credit card. To unfreeze your report, you will need your pin number which was given to you when you first froze your report. If you have forgotten or misplaced your pin, no problem, you can recover it by contacting the credit reporting agencies. Please use the following links: ALWAYS UNFREEZE YOUR REPORT TEMPORARILY. Equifax Online – You’ll need to create a MyEquifax account if you haven’t already. You can unfreeze your credit, check the status of your request, or initiate a new credit freeze if necessary. By phone – Call 1-888-298-0045. By mail – You’ll need to download this form from Equifax. Equifax will lift the freeze once your identity is verified. Mail to Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348. Trans Union By phone – You can call TransUnion to unfreeze at 888-909-8872. Follow the prompts, and the voice operator will guide you through the process. In this case, be sure to have your social security number, address, date of birth, freeze PIN, and start and end dates if calling regarding a temporary unfreeze. If you forgot your pin, you can recover it by creating a login online. Online – Go to this link to create an account if you didn’t already, and follow the guidelines to unfreeze your account. Note, you only need your pin if you initially froze your account via phone. You won’t need it if unfreezing online. Experian By phone –Call 888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742) and provide the PIN to lift the freeze from your credit report. Online – Go to this link to create an account if you didn’t already, and follow the guidelines to unfreeze your account. For more information and help on other subjects please go to www.thecreditbureau.com/blog Any questions? Call us. The Credit Bureau Phone Number is: 800-518-1077 Option 4
Report Your Deceased Family Members
Please follow the instructions below to report your deceased family members to the credit bureaus. This will ensure that their social security number is flagged as deceased and no one will be able to use it. The executor of the estate may request the deceased person’s credit report by mailing a request to each of the credit reporting companies. In your letter, include the following: Legal name Social Security Number Date of birth Date of death Last known address A copy of the death certificate or the testamentary. A testamentary is a document issued by a court authorizing the executor of a will to take control of a deceased person’s estate. Also send information about yourself, including: Your name and address for sending final confirmation. In the case of an executor, include the court order or other document showing that you are an executor. Send the request and information to all three credit reporting companies by mail: Equifax P.O. Box 105139 Atlanta, GA 30348-5139 Experian P.O. Box 2002 Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016 Questions? The Credit Bureau Phone Number is: 800-518-1077 Option 4 Wish to see your report for free? Click the link below: https://thecreditbureau.com/consumer-credit-report/
How to Remove Fraudulent Items on your Credit Reports
If you are using free programs such as Credit Karma they provide some information but they are not inclusive. To remove fraudulent items you need to know what to remove, so we recommend viewing your report by going into this link: https://thecreditbureau.com/consumer-credit-report/ . Viewing your report this way will not affect your score negatively. To remove fraudulent items, you need to diligently follow the directions below: File a police report with your local police. Make a few copies of the police report and keep them handy. Continue to view your report regularly and pick out anything that seems strange – make a note of them. Write a letter to the credit reporting agencies. Your cover letter should include your name, phone number, address, social security number, and the fraudulent charges spelled out in detail. Mail the cover letter with a copy of the police report and a copy of the page of the credit report that has the fraudulent item. Include a copy of your Driver’s license and social security card. Mail the documents preferably by registered mail to each of the bureaus using the following addresses: Equifax P.O. Box 740256 Atlanta, GA 30374-0256, 800-685-1111 Experian P.O. Box 9701 Allen, TX 75013 , 888-397-3742 Trans Union, P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022, 800-909-8872 Within a 30 day period, you will receive a copy of your credit report from the three credit reporting agencies. When you receive your credit report, examine each line and make sure they have removed the fraudulent items you requested. Also, there are instructions on how to reach the bureaus if you still need help. Refer to our blog for further questions: https://thecreditbureau.com/blog Any questions? Please call us. The Credit Bureau Phone Number is: 800-518-1077 Option 4