Disputing Your Credit Reports

[PatPat]

I've been having trouble accessing my Experian report this entire year, the first year I learned about AnnualCreditReport.com. I tried last month to access my report but apparently, I had requested it the past year, but I don't remember! I also tried to sign up at Credit Sesame and had difficulty confirming my personal details and got locked. I contacted the site and they told me to get in contact directly with the bureau. I gave up and decided not to worry too much.

Until very recently...I had the urge again to get access to that dang Experian report so I signed up for a $1 7-day trial on Experian.com. And to my surprise, it said my credit score was at 780! That's seems too high...Barclays TransUnion FICO says my score is 746, after having jumped up 20ish points the past month from 2 new CCs.

Then I looked over some of the Credit Cards on the Experian report and noticed cards I never signed up for dating back to the 90s, when I was still a toddler! I found out that the report includes possibly all of my mother's credit information...it even listed her name in the "Also Known As" field.

I guess I gotta dispute this, huh??

Do you have any interesting stories to share, too, about your credit report/score?


TL;DR - My credit score from Experian is much higher than expected compared to my TU and EQ scores because it contains my mom's credit information.

 

[Matt]

Well... it was actually a pretty good thing for you back in the day. Are you able to see if the cards from way back are still open? If not perhaps just leave it? If they are open still and there is a chance of default then getting them off would make sense.

 

[PatPat]

Well... it was actually a pretty good thing for you back in the day. Are you able to see if the cards from way back are still open? If not perhaps just leave it? If they are open still and there is a chance of default then getting them off would make sense.

Hi Matt, all the accounts from way back are closed. It also looks like my mother likes to sign up for store brand credit cards, close them later on...and then open up an account again later on. -__-

 

[PatPat]

I also wonder how the credit report would have my name on it but "Also Known As" my mother's name. I just thought that was strange.

 

[Matt]

I honestly don't know, I'm just not sure if it is worth the hassle if they were from back in the day. Perhaps it is though.

 

[cocobird]

You are allowed to see one credit report per year from each of the credit reporting agencies. So if you cannot see the Experian report because you viewed it within the last year, then you can also check one of the other major credit reporting agencies. Although the reports are slightly different, they are close enough for your purposes of checking your information.

In addition, you can also check your FICO score if one of your credit cards offer this as a benefit. Again, the score may be somewhat different for each one depending on which credit reporting agency it is using.

Beyond that, you don't necessarily have to go through the hassle of a formal dispute. You are also allowed to place a personal statement or explanation in file if you want.

I think a potential issue of your credit report is what happens if your mother passes away and for some reason the credit reporting agency ties that to your credit report. This assume that your mother is alive today. Somehow the error occurred and it is in your favor presently.

I had an issue with a creditor that wanted me to sign a statement that said I had gone by some other names due to a mistake by the credit reporting agencies. I refused saying that I had never gone by those name and would not perjure myself by saying I had gone by those names. I advised the creditor that I would be willing to sign a statement that I had never gone by those other names and that the credit reporting agency was mistaken. The creditor dropped the entire matter.

 

[PatPat]

You are allowed to see one credit report per year from each of the credit reporting agencies. So if you cannot see the Experian report because you viewed it within the last year, then you can also check one of the other major credit reporting agencies. Although the reports are slightly different, they are close enough for your purposes of checking your information.

In addition, you can also check your FICO score if one of your credit cards offer this as a benefit. Again, the score may be somewhat different for each one depending on which credit reporting agency it is using.

Beyond that, you don't necessarily have to go through the hassle of a formal dispute. You are also allowed to place a personal statement or explanation in file if you want.

I think a potential issue of your credit report is what happens if your mother passes away and for some reason the credit reporting agency ties that to your credit report. This assume that your mother is alive today. Somehow the error occurred and it is in your favor presently.

I had an issue with a creditor that wanted me to sign a statement that said I had gone by some other names due to a mistake by the credit reporting agencies. I refused saying that I had never gone by those name and would not perjure myself by saying I had gone by those names. I advised the creditor that I would be willing to sign a statement that I had never gone by those other names and that the credit reporting agency was mistaken. The creditor dropped the entire matter.

Thanks Cocobird for your input and I'll keep what you said in mind. I have the Barclays Arrival+ and Discover It so I can get TU scores. I believe the reason I don't recall accessing my Experian report on AnnualCreditReport.com is because when answering questions about details that are on the report, they had asked about information that would relate to my mother's credit report.

 

[DebentureBoy]

My wife's and my daughter's credit reports got merged somehow, so pretty similar situation. It's a bit of a challenge getting it unwound. It shows up when new accounts are opened -- what is the nearest street to Elm Street (a common question on many bank / CU apps), that sort of thing (where did you live when you were 5?). You have to think, wait... Elm Street where I live or where my daughter lives, when I was 5 or my daughter was 5?

The CRAs must share / sell this info with other databases, so things get perpetuated beyond whatever CRA messed up originally.

I've been having trouble accessing my Experian report this entire year, the first year I learned about AnnualCreditReport.com. I tried last month to access my report but apparently, I had requested it the past year, but I don't remember! I also tried to sign up at Credit Sesame and had difficulty confirming my personal details and got locked. I contacted the site and they told me to get in contact directly with the bureau. I gave up and decided not to worry too much.

Until very recently...I had the urge again to get access to that dang Experian report so I signed up for a $1 7-day trial on Experian.com. And to my surprise, it said my credit score was at 780! That's seems too high...Barclays TransUnion FICO says my score is 746, after having jumped up 20ish points the past month from 2 new CCs.

Then I looked over some of the Credit Cards on the Experian report and noticed cards I never signed up for dating back to the 90s, when I was still a toddler! I found out that the report includes possibly all of my mother's credit information...it even listed her name in the "Also Known As" field.

I guess I gotta dispute this, huh??

Do you have any interesting stories to share, too, about your credit report/score?


TL;DR - My credit score from Experian is much higher than expected compared to my TU and EQ scores because it contains my mom's credit information.