I just got my Experian credit report from CreditExpert. There are 12 variations of my name on there. Some are so ridiculous... there are 8 addresses that are completely wrong. Some have a number or two left out of my street number, some are just plain WRONG. I sent a letter (CRRR of course) asking them to correct this inaccurate information. Will they? Have any of you had the same problem? If so, did you have any luck? Thanks in advance.
Piece of cake. Dispute online and it'll be gone in a few days. This is actually fairly important to do as it can make some older accounts, particularly ones that aren't associated with your SS#, harder to verify/ validate. Things like utility collections form three houses ago. I got so busy doing that that I entered in the wrong SS# by accident, and they accepted it, much to my surprise. When I got my new CR and noticed that error, I changed it right back. But it sure did give me ideas. I've never followed up on those ideas, cuz I have this thing against criminal activity, but I bet some people have and/ or might.
Thanks so much. I have disputed some stuff online, but I couldn't get it to let me dispute my personal info online. Maybe I was doing something wrong. At any rate, I mailed the letter today so they should get it sometime after Christmas. I think that could make my score go up a little, just not having all of those name variations on there. It certainally does not look good. But the thing is, those are all SOMEBODY ELSES mistakes. I mean, my first name has 6 letters in it and some of the variations of my name had 15 letters in my first name! Thanks again!
Quixote, there is a database of SSN's - chances are the first time someone applied for CC now, using a wrong SSN, it would set off that "hawk alert" everyone was sking about, and other similar alerts with the other CRA databases. Say, the SSN belongs to someone who is deceased - bam!!! gotcha!! it would come back that way to the CCC you were applying to.
When i disputed the seven variations of my name and three variations of my social security number, exp sent me a letter back saying they couldn't correct it because it was based on information from creditors (!!!) I just sent them a crrr, saying, how can a creditor verify my legal identity better than i can and don't you have an obligation to report accurate information on my credit report..... we will see what happens.
That is strange. Usually they will fix names and addresses etc to whatever you tell them. I was just looking at my experian, they are listing my DL#, my phone number, work phone number, etc etc. Somebody is reporting everything!!!
I strongly suggest removing all variations of name, ssn, AND removing ALL previous addresses. then attack the derogs. By unlinking the previous addresses, some collection-type tradelines will not be verifiable to you, since they can sometimes obmit your ssn. It works. Plus if you have no previous address, whatever you say about current residency time, must be valid huh?
There is no where to dispute on-line personal information with Experian. Can you please let us know where the option is?
Agreed. But what if opening up new accounts was not your objective right then? I wasn't going to elaborate on this. Understand, I have not and would not do this, and I'm not recommending it by any means, but, theoretically, I could see where someone could get the ssn changed on their CR's. While they are at it, submit a bunch of false residency info, etc. and remove all traces of their true personal info except for the name. Then, once they were sure that's done, they dispute every account. It would be pretty tough to verify them, I'm guessing. It would also be very illegal, which is why I haven't done it and won't do it. A couple of months later, you just submit the accurate ssn and residency, and poof, away you go. I won't be insulted, BTW, if someone decides to alert pbm and have this post suppressed. Just trying to finish my point.
Oh, I thought you meant like those credit repair scams where they tell you you can get a new SSN - that this would be a shortcut. I don't think anyone will take your comments wrong. We can tell somebody about kiting checks, or how to forge a signature but that doesn't mean we advocate doing it.
Ok, THIS issue I have quite a bit of experience with. EQ and TU will update your info to what you tell them. EXPERIAN will make you crazed!!! I've been dealing with this since 1998. I have NO middle name or initial. Another woman who has the same first and last name as me but who DOES have a middle initial gets her stuff comingled with mine and I even get her mail as a result. It's so bad that her medical insurance invoices came to me for awhile - where did they get "her" address (really mine)??? - from Experian or someone Experian sells info to. Ok, so, I dispute her stuff off, including her name and bingo, it comes back. I get it off and it comes back again. I know which creditor is reporting her name to my profile BUT I can't get that one removed. It truly is not my account but no one will believe me. I've written to the creditor (Macy's) a thousand times and they absolutely DON'T reply - EVER. They just arrogantly ignore me and my certified letters. I wrote to Experian dozens of times and they, too, ignore me or come back and say it's already been verified and it stays or that the Name and Address match!!! They only "match" because Experian messed up in the first place which is how Macy's attached her record to my profile! I've written twice to PlanetFeedback and Experian arrogantly ignores those letters too. The only good thing about PlanetFeedback was that I copied in my State AG. I've tried everything but a law suit and since my State AG is supposedly dealing with this I'm giving them some time before I file. I hope you have better luck but the deal is that if a creditor reports it (and they do every time they update) then no matter how many times you dispute the personal info it will continue to come back unless you can find out which creditor is doing it and get them to correct their records. Good luck.
Quixote - you are nuts! Thanks for keeping this post lively! I always love to hear what you have to say! I agree, that could get one in very big trouble... but if the dang CRA's would do what they're supposed to do in the first place, we wouldn't have to sit around and think about things like that! You would think that since they are required by law to only report ACCURATE information, that they would have to BY LAW change everything on there that is inaccurate. And I am pretty sure they do. I know that if they don't change mine, I am going to threaten to sue them.
I disputed my experian online through credit expert where they had my father listed as my husband! and also three variations of my name, apparently, i lived at three placed, i never did and DL number was messed up. I disputed the name online, my fake husband and the rest they wanted written notification for.
Experian had my middle name spelled incorrectly. Just to be ornery (their spelling is the more common one for that name) I wrote and told them. They just deleted my middle name. No argument. But I am not disputing anything else, I don't have any derogs on Exp.
If you must know... The first round of disputes I did (before I even had heard of creditnet) I made up this cheesy form for disputing. It listed my name, address, phone #, ssn, etc. then each of the accounts aI was disputing and why. It was incredibly amateur. When I had finished with three separate lists for myself, I then made a corresponding dispute form up for The Lovely Mrs. Quixote's three CR's. Since most of the account info was the same, I simply renamed the file and changed the identifying info, and any specific accounts that needed to be added or subtracted. On one of them (I think it was Equifax, but not sure) I neglected to change the ssn from mine to hers. The next copy of her CR that we got had my ssn listed instead of hers. Honest mistake, and I got it changed back immediately. But, it just got me wondering, that's all. Is it just me, or does it seem like there are people hanging around here looking for an excuse to pick a fight?
