Any help is appreciated. I requested VALIDATION of debts from all 3 CRA's. They responded with VERIFICATION and most stayed on (1 deleted out of 16) I have yet to write a second dispute letter. Equifax created an ALERT on my file, so no info can now be collected or dispersed. They allege fraud or "misuse" What should be my next step? Much thanks
You don't request VALIDATION from the CRAs, you request VALIDATION from a COLLECTION AGENCY. Send the letters that you sent to the CRAs to the COLLECTION AGENCIES that appear on your credit file. Then send a letter to the CRAs asking that they re-dispute the tradelines which are appearing on your credit file. More than likely, the CRAs will respond that it was previously verified, and if they do, unless you have something more specific to dispute, you could be stuck with it. FRAUD ALERTS can happen any time you are making a large number of NOT MINE disputes; the logic being that if you have 16 accounts on your credit file which you are alleging aren't yours, the only other viable option is that someone is using your information fraudulently.
Thank you for the reply. regarding the alert, problem is, since I requested validation, not a "not mine" dispute" there should not be an alert, correct? Should I notify Equifax that that is the case? Thanks again
The problem is that when you send a letter which is intended for someone in an entirely different part of the process; they process it the best way that they know how, and standard validation form letters come off sounding like a canned "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, PROVIDE ME PROOF OF YOUR FIRST BORN TO PROVE THAT IT'S MY ACCOUNT!" There's a reason I repeatedly say not to send any letter unless you know EXACTLY what it means (and in this case, who it should go to). Every word is important, and the wrong word, on the wrong account could mean that the next thing that you receive from the company is an invitation to appear before a judge. I've tailored my letters meticulously over the past few years, every word chosen for the exact purpose; most importantly, if they google any phrase in my letter it won't appear on any site of form letters so that it gets put into a pile of all of the other form letters that people thought would work some magical formula. VALIDATION is a FDCPA principle, a CRA has no idea what VALIDATION is, and isn't required to provide it, the only thing that they are required to do is dispute the account with the data furnisher, and if the letter doesn't specifically provide a reason, they have to pick something, and most validation letters come off heavy handed that you have no knowledge of the account, the alleged original creditor, and are demanding not only to be proved that the account is yours, and the amount is correct (the limits of VALIDATION), but you want proof of everything under the sun, including that they are legally working for the alleged original creditor. Sending the wrong letter to the wrong party is shooting yourself in the foot, and LEGALLY it's designed to be harder to remove a fraud alert than it is to put one on.
