Need serious advice/help relating to false information on my credit report

[Xylitol]

Background information: I'm a college student applying for a lease at an apartment. The apartment did a credit report check and denied me on the grounds that I owed money to various collection agencies and other leases. This is not at all true.

What I just did moments ago:
I called Experian (the credit report agency that had this information) and got a hold of my credit report. It turns out that someone who shares my FIRST name (NOT LAST NAME OR SS#) is some how on my credit report. I believe that it is him who is mucking up my credit report with all this f'n debt.

Unfortunately, Experian's customer service for disputes is currently closed, so I cannot dispute any claims over the phone as of right now.


A few questions:
(1) How the fuck does someone who doesn't share my last name or SS# get on my credit report? It's not like he stole my identity by stealing my last name and SS#. The last 4 digits of his SS# and his last name are in my credit report and they are not my last name/SS#.

(2) How long does this process of disputing claims take? I need to get this sorted out before being able to move into my apartment with my friends (this apartment requires all residents to get their credit checked). I don't have much time left and would like to be able to be a legitimate resident of the apartment rather than someone who's living there, off the radar.

(3) I have been receiving mail from collections agencies to my home address for at least a year now (my parents receive it while I'm at school). They've sent mail to the agencies and also called them, telling them that I am not the person they are looking for. The name for the addressee is not my name (it is the name of the person who's fucking up my credit). The collections agencies will stop for a little while and then call/send us mail again. They aren't removing me from their records and continue pestering my family. Is there a way I can report them for harassment to the authorities?

 

[ringtail]

``

 

[Xylitol]

yeah I've got that too.

Don't know what to tell you...after about 20 years fighting I never yet solved it. It hounds me like a shadow...can't escape.

In my case it's ALL 100% fake stuff, fake address, fake tel, fake dob, fake EVERYTHING, but despite that, some creditor made a fat loan to some crafty conniving imposter who skipped, and that creditor even got a friggin COURT JUDGEMENT against me that I never heard about
for a debt I never heard about, until about 6 or 7 years after the fact

made to some crafty conniver in Los Angeles at some address I never heard about...but USING MY NAME!!!
tried for years to fight it...

utterly futile.

Once the "system" has yer number you are FUCKED! NOBODY will listen reasonably.

If the facts are utterly false through & through, EVERYBODY just thinks you're trying to weasel out of a "legitimate" debt.

So, here's some sympathy for you, but alas! no solution.

You tried resolving this dispute through the credit agency and they just refused to remove it from your records?

Also, how have you dealt with this? How have you been able to purchase a car, obtain an apartment lease/get a house mortgage?

 

[sixone]

Background information: I'm a college student applying for a lease at an apartment. The apartment did a credit report check and denied me on the grounds that I owed money to various collection agencies and other leases. This is not at all true.

What I just did moments ago:
I called Experian (the credit report agency that had this information) and got a hold of my credit report. It turns out that someone who shares my FIRST name (NOT LAST NAME OR SS#) is some how on my credit report. I believe that it is him who is mucking up my credit report with all this f'n debt.

Unfortunately, Experian's customer service for disputes is currently closed, so I cannot dispute any claims over the phone as of right now.


A few questions:
(1) How the fuck does someone who doesn't share my last name or SS# get on my credit report? It's not like he stole my identity by stealing my last name and SS#. The last 4 digits of his SS# and his last name are in my credit report and they are not my last name/SS#.

No telling.

(2) How long does this process of disputing claims take? I need to get this sorted out before being able to move into my apartment with my friends (this apartment requires all residents to get their credit checked). I don't have much time left and would like to be able to be a legitimate resident of the apartment rather than someone who's living there, off the radar.

The credit reporting agencies have 30 days to resolve your dispute. You should follow up with TransUnion and Equifax, as well. You can request a free report from each agency.

(3) I have been receiving mail from collections agencies to my home address for at least a year now (my parents receive it while I'm at school). They've sent mail to the agencies and also called them, telling them that I am not the person they are looking for. The name for the addressee is not my name (it is the name of the person who's fucking up my credit). The collections agencies will stop for a little while and then call/send us mail again. They aren't removing me from their records and continue pestering my family. Is there a way I can report them for harassment to the authorities?

Good info here. You'll need to start writing some letters, ASAP. Be a grownup and handle this yourself, instead of letting your parents deal with it.

 

[blackangst1]

First of all, take a breath and realize it will not be a fast solution.

Your first step is to deal with the creditor, NOT the reporting agency. In other words, the agency reporting on your bureau. You need to send a debt validation letter. Validation is a requirement of collection agencies as set forth by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or FDCPA for short. Debt must be validated by the creditor as to proof of the debt, and proof they have the right person. What reporting companies do (Experian, Trans Union, et al) is VERIFICATION. In other words, they verify the info with the creditor that it is true and complete. NOT whether or not it belongs to you. HERE is a summary of debt validation.

Second, you want to clean up the info on your reports. In other words, remove old addresses, old phone numbers, etc. HERE is an outline on why and how you do that.

Lastly, you should educate yourself on credit, credit reporting, and its impact on you. This will not be a two night read. Its a continual process. I suggest starting HERE and pay EXTRA attention to the newbie sections.

The bottom line is you are an adult, and therefore responsible for your own fiscal management. Learn now. If you still have questions about validation and what to do next, spend some times on the board I linked, sign up, search, and read. You will feel so much better doing it yourself. It's not hopeless, but it does require some work.

 

[Xylitol]

No telling.

The credit reporting agencies have 30 days to resolve your dispute. You should follow up with TransUnion and Equifax, as well. You can request a free report from each agency.


Good info here. You'll need to start writing some letters, ASAP. Be a grownup and handle this yourself, instead of letting your parents deal with it.

If I contact the credit agency directly and get it sorted out through them (ie: show them that they have wrong information on my credit report), will this be enough to satisfy the debt collectors? Or will they not care about an updated credit report that states that I (more specifically, the other guy who's on my credit report) no longer owe any money.

 

[Xylitol]

First of all, take a breath and realize it will not be a fast solution.

Your first step is to deal with the creditor, NOT the reporting agency. In other words, the agency reporting on your bureau. You need to send a debt validation letter. Validation is a requirement of collection agencies as set forth by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or FDCPA for short. Debt must be validated by the creditor as to proof of the debt, and proof they have the right person. What reporting companies do (Experian, Trans Union, et al) is VERIFICATION. In other words, they verify the info with the creditor that it is true and complete. NOT whether or not it belongs to you. HERE is a summary of debt validation.

Second, you want to clean up the info on your reports. In other words, remove old addresses, old phone numbers, etc. HERE is an outline on why and how you do that.

Lastly, you should educate yourself on credit, credit reporting, and its impact on you. This will not be a two night read. Its a continual process. I suggest starting HERE and pay EXTRA attention to the newbie sections.

The bottom line is you are an adult, and therefore responsible for your own fiscal management. Learn now. If you still have questions about validation and what to do next, spend some times on the board I linked, sign up, search, and read. You will feel so much better doing it yourself. It's not hopeless, but it does require some work.

This is very helpful. Thank you. For loans that were taken out by this mystery man before I even turned 18, will I be able to just get those automatically thrown out? (There are 3 of these sorts of loans)

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

First of all, take a breath and realize it will not be a fast solution.

Your first step is to deal with the creditor, NOT the reporting agency. In other words, the agency reporting on your bureau. You need to send a debt validation letter. Validation is a requirement of collection agencies as set forth by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or FDCPA for short. Debt must be validated by the creditor as to proof of the debt, and proof they have the right person. What reporting companies do (Experian, Trans Union, et al) is VERIFICATION. In other words, they verify the info with the creditor that it is true and complete. NOT whether or not it belongs to you. HERE is a summary of debt validation.

Second, you want to clean up the info on your reports. In other words, remove old addresses, old phone numbers, etc. HERE is an outline on why and how you do that.

Lastly, you should educate yourself on credit, credit reporting, and its impact on you. This will not be a two night read. Its a continual process. I suggest starting HERE and pay EXTRA attention to the newbie sections.

The bottom line is you are an adult, and therefore responsible for your own fiscal management. Learn now. If you still have questions about validation and what to do next, spend some times on the board I linked, sign up, search, and read. You will feel so much better doing it yourself. It's not hopeless, but it does require some work.

+1
I had to change my name twice while attending the University of New Mexico because a person with the same first and last name had gone AWOL and a pair of MP's came to pick me up. No one bothered to check SS#.

 

[kranky]

What blackangst1 said, but I suggest reading the newbie threads at creditboards first before taking any action.

 

[Drako]

+1
I had to change my name twice while attending the University of New Mexico because a person with the same first and last name had gone AWOL and a pair of MP's came to pick me up. No one bothered to check SS#.

John Smith?

Another +1 to blackangst1 advice. Nice job.

 

[DAGTA]

http://bettercreditblog.org/sample-negotiation-letters/

Send letters certified mail. Learn the legal rules. As Six pointed out, a formal dispute must be removed or responded to by 30 days of receipt of your letter / dispute filing.

Dave Ramsey has a lesson in the Financial Peace University series that contains a bunch of good information and steps on how to dispute incorrect credit entries.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

John Smith?

Another +1 to blackangst1 advice. Nice job.

No but, to make things worse, the guy they were looking for had the middle initial D and mine is O. The lousy font they were using made them look all but identical. I still never figured out why two different organizations who live and die by SS#'s never looked at them.

 

[Drako]

No but, to make things worse, the guy they were looking for had the middle initial D and mine is O. The lousy font they were using made them look all but identical. I still never figured out why two different organizations who live and die by SS#'s never looked at them.

Did you change your entire name, or just first, middle or last?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Did you change your entire name, or just first, middle or last?

The first time I eliminated the middle initial and the second time I added it back. It was a simple fix really. They had frozen my records and financial aid. I was about 30 at the time and I asked the MP's if I really looked like I was 19? I don't think they were the brightest MP's around.

 

[Drako]

The first time I eliminated the middle initial and the second time I added it back. It was a simple fix really. They had frozen my records and financial aid. I was about 30 at the time and I asked the MP's if I really looked like I was 19? I don't think they were the brightest MP's around.

Ah, I see.

I don't ever think I've met a smart MP. I almost got shot by a twitchy pimply faced MP once. :|

 

[blackangst1]

This is very helpful. Thank you. For loans that were taken out by this mystery man before I even turned 18, will I be able to just get those automatically thrown out? (There are 3 of these sorts of loans)

Not necessarily. But, either way, it will get taken care of through the validation process. Once you follow the validation procedure, and they cannot validate the debt to you, they are required to remove it from your report. If they dont, you can sue them at the cost of $2000 per violation. Im sure it wont get that far though.

Its frustrating, but if you follow the proper process, it'll get straightened out. And another piece of advice...DO NOT, under ANY circumstance, talk to them on the phone. EVERYTHING will be done via certified mail.

 

[CountZero]

Not necessarily. But, either way, it will get taken care of through the validation process. Once you follow the validation procedure, and they cannot validate the debt to you, they are required to remove it from your report. If they dont, you can sue them at the cost of $2000 per violation. Im sure it wont get that far though.

Its frustrating, but if you follow the proper process, it'll get straightened out. And another piece of advice...DO NOT, under ANY circumstance, talk to them on the phone. EVERYTHING will be done via certified mail.

The best approach if you want to nail it is two pronged. The problem with validation is that it requires basically nothing, while they law says they have to validate it doesn't say with what. I had a collection agency validate a debt by saying it was correct, no documentation of any kind just their word.

The two pronged approach is to send CMRR (certified mail w/ return receipt) letters to creditors for validation under FDCPA (essentially they have 30 days to respond, if you are in Texas there is a little more protection that goes beyond the federal statute). Then you also send CMRR letters to every CRA (credit reporting agency) to ask for verification of debt under I think FCRA (similar to FDCPA it gives 30 days to respond). If the CRA fails to verify it will come off but if they claim to have verified a debt that was not validated you use that to get it removed.

If the creditor you are dealing with is a collection agency do not call them from any phone that you actually might answer if it rang. Even then it is rarely to your advantage to talk to a collection agency on the phone. Do not sign the letters you send to a collection agency, they have been known to migrate from one document to another.

Also neither the creditor nor the CRA is on your side. The creditor or collection agency just wants to get paid, if they can bully you to do it the money is the same and they will almost never believe you when you say it isn't yours (though you can get lucky on the phone with the right CSR). To the CRA you aren't their customer, collection agencies and banks are their customers. There is a reason laws had to be passed to reign in these people, they don't really care about accuracy though again getting lucky with a CSR can help.

In my experience the original creditor (bank typically) is usually not terribly hard to work with but collection agencies are a nightmare and if it has gone that far you have an uphill battle ahead of you.