Cleaning up my Credit Reports

[LaurieB]

I had my identity stolen three years ago and mostly got my credit reports cleared, but there were some extraneous things like wrong addresses and cards that I didn't really apply for that were left on the reports. Does anyone have any experience cleaning up their credit reports? Do you think I should worry about this extraneous info? I'm just starting to think about financial aid and loans.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Laurie

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[ATPase]

I've never had this happen to me (thank God!) but I found this link on the FTC website. You may have already seen it, but hopefully it will help in some way.

http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/

 

[LaurieB]

Thanks ATPase!

 

[finnpipette]

I'd try to clear it up. In terms of your credit, you should check your FICO score. I think the cutoff for home loans was 680-690. If you're over that, I wouldn't worry about not being able to secure loans at low interest rates. If not, you've got problems.

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

Most creditors want to see you at a particular address for at least six months before they give you credit [so they know they can find you, you don't skip out on rent, etc] so getting those addresses fixed is important. Your credit score also goes up a couple of points every time it is accessed by a creditor in am attempt to offer you credit so it's crucial to get this fixed.

 

[jeffuab]

I have some experience in cleaning up my credit report. My reports showed addresses that didn't belong to me, a collection that wasn't mine, and my birth year as being 1924 (yeah, right...I'm 79 years old and a sophomore in college). You'll need to obtain a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). You can get all of them online (do a web search...I don't have the links handy) and you have a few different options for doing so. The easiest thing to do would be to get a 3 bureau credit report which does a line by line comparison of all 3 agencies. You can also get your scores from each of the three. Anyway, when you get the reports, you have the option of disputing items on them. Equifax and Experian both provide a means to dispute them online. TransUnion, however, requires that you send them a letter detailing the inaccuracies and reasons why they are inaccurate. Definitely dispute anything not belonging to you. You can also dispute things that actually do belong to you in hopes of getting them taken off your credit report (I'm told that this works about half the time). Using these methods I was able to increase my Equifax credit score by about 130 points over 6 months.

Hope this helps....

 

[calebho501]

I've got my credit report online before at http://www.truecredit.com They have really detailed report and show your credit score from all 3 agencies.

 

[Mashiara]

There have been a few recent changes in the way the credit bureaus handle Identity Theft cases. For instance, they now offer free credit reports to identity theft victims, and credit freezes. As a recent victim, I can hardly stand the way our judicial system deals with these cases and can only imagine your hassle of clearing ?the mess? up 3 years ago.

I suggest you writing to the credit bureaus and explaining your case, they will likely do an investigation and fix/delete the extra addresses and direct you in handling the credit accounts that have not been deleted.

I heard the most important thing you can do is keep all records you have regarding your case ?as the accounts (though I do not know how) resurface over the years. Also, if you haven?t already, look into Opting-Out and request for your current credit cards to not share/sell your personal information.

A link that helped me is: http://www.idtheftcenter.org (their website might be a little cluttered but they are highly knowledgeable ? try calling or emailing).

Best of luck to you!