Identity theft does not always begin with stolen money. Often it begins with inaccurate information: an account opened in your name, an unauthorized inquiry, or a missed payment on an account you never had. Weeks or months can pass before it surfaces, which is why reviewing the report matters.
Request your report from all three nationwide agencies, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, at AnnualCreditReport.com. Look for accounts you did not open, inquiries you did not authorize, and missed payments on unfamiliar accounts. Keep copies and screenshots, which build the record.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a consumer has the right to dispute inaccurate or fraudulent information. Send a written dispute to each agency that identifies the item, explains why it is incorrect, and includes supporting documentation. The law sets a reinvestigation process, generally within 30 days, and requires that information that cannot be verified be corrected or removed.
File an identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov to create an official record of the fraud. Consider a fraud alert or a credit freeze to limit new accounts from being opened in your name.
Sometimes a properly filed dispute does not lead to a correction. An item may reappear after deletion, or a reinvestigation may close without a change. At that point the issue may be a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, not just an error, and legal action may be appropriate.
The sooner inaccurate information is addressed, the more likely it is corrected before it affects a mortgage application, a job offer, or a loan. Documenting each step strengthens the record if a legal claim becomes necessary.
Petroff Amshen LLP represents New York consumers in Fair Credit Reporting Act matters. The firm reviews the credit file and any prior dispute and, where the law has been violated, takes legal action in state and federal courts. This is not credit repair. Petroff Amshen LLP is a New York law firm that litigates FCRA claims; credit repair companies are not law firms and cannot bring a lawsuit.
“Our role begins when a consumer has done the right things and the inaccurate information is still there. If a dispute is ignored, the question becomes whether the law was followed.”
Serge F. Petroff, Founding Partner, Petroff Amshen LLPAuthoritative sources: IdentityTheft.gov · AnnualCreditReport.com