Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, I hate you all...

[Sweet Tea]

So, I'm checking my credit history for the first time before I apply for student loans... since I've had no previous reason to.

According to Experian, Equifax and TransUnion
I apparently have a mortgage and a beach house.  News to me.  It would be nice if I owned said beach house because then I could sell it ... but it may be hard to take out an additional $150,000 in loans with my mortgage.  I'm freaking 22 and I don't own anything.  I think they've got me confused with one of my relatives, and I anticipate this being a big pain to clear up.

Anyone else having trouble with credit report surprises from these stupid companies? 

[shaz]

they may not have you confused with anyone.  your relative may have used your soc to get their stuff.  this has been done before.  i would look into it.  be prepared to send them to jail. 

[shae]

So, I'm checking my credit history for the first time before I apply for student loans... since I've had no previous reason to.

According to Experian, Equifax and TransUnion
I apparently have a mortgage and a beach house.  News to me.  It would be nice if I owned said beach house because then I could sell it ... but it may be hard to take out an additional $150,000 in loans with my mortgage.  I'm freaking 22 and I don't own anything.  I think they've got me confused with one of my relatives, and I anticipate this being a big pain to clear up.

Anyone else having trouble with credit report surprises from these stupid companies? 

can you say identity theft

[Sweet Tea]

I called home -- this is my relative's stuff and we have the same first and last names and accounts with the same banks.  It wound up associated with my SSN, though so even if this is a creditor/credit company screwup it will be a pain/

[wunder]

Yuck.  Tell your bank to clean it up in the next two weeks or you're getting a lawyer.  And then do it.  If they don't clean it up, contact the Better Business Bureau, your Attorney General, or the local news team and see if they can't intervene for you.  Should just be a paperwork thing though if you're lucky!!

To be fair, sometimes having relatives open credit accounts in your name can HELP your credit.  My parents added me to their credit card so I can pay for things for them (or me) in an emergency.  Fortunately, it is their regular account, so I get credit for making thousands of dollars worth of on-time payments a year. 

[Law9486]

Just an fyi - I just realized that you can check you credit report once a year for free at something like annualcreditreport.com. Maybe that will prevent someone else from being in your position and not knowing about it!

[alaskan]

I bought a car last week....and when the coked-up financing guy was going over my credit report (he looked at Equifax only) and was estimating what my interest rate would be (it was a Saturday, so banks were closed), he told me a great piece of information...get your credit report, and if there are any paid collections or late credit card payments, file a formal dispute on all of them.  Assuming collections/late payments have been paid, companies rarely respond to such disputes...so 30 days after the dispute is filed, it is wiped from your credit report forever if there is no response...and this is reflected immediately in your credit score.  He told me all you need to say in your dispute is something to the effect of:

"My records indicate no delinquency with this account."

And that gets the ball rolling.  Good deal, huh?

[wunder]

I checked my credit report last year and found that a healthcare provider sent me a bill for a service back in college to an address I hadn't lived at for a few years so I never saw it.  I paid the thing, disputed it, and the company actually responded and I lost (despite the fact that I NEVER GOT THE BILL).  So, it's worth a shot but it doesn't always work.  But, if you lose, you can file a statement explaining the situation and it will go out with your credit report.

[MrsABD]

I bought a car last week....and when the coked-up financing guy was going over my credit report (he looked at Equifax only) and was estimating what my interest rate would be (it was a Saturday, so banks were closed), he told me a great piece of information...get your credit report, and if there are any paid collections or late credit card payments, file a formal dispute on all of them.  Assuming collections/late payments have been paid, companies rarely respond to such disputes...so 30 days after the dispute is filed, it is wiped from your credit report forever if there is no response...and this is reflected immediately in your credit score.  He told me all you need to say in your dispute is something to the effect of:

"My records indicate no delinquency with this account."

And that gets the ball rolling.  Good deal, huh?

My family owns a Collection Agency and this is true. If the agency does respond w/in 30 days it will do you no good.  They will return the dispute as validated and it will stay on your CBR.  You can take the chance on it and it might work out for the best.

[yiplong]

I forgot to return a book to the library, and they billed me for like $120. I didn't know they have filed a collection against me until I applied for a job with the FBI.  They checked out every possible record of me and personally interviewed all of my close relatives and friends!!!  I then filed a disput saying I never own the library money, I guess they never responded, so last month I looked at my credit report, it wasn't there anymore.  My credit score is pretty bad though, something in the range of 580.