GM- I'm new here- very glad I found this site as I am totally overwhelmed and not sure where to begin. A few months ago I tried to get some credit and was denied. I decided to pull my credit report and found at least 10 items that didn't belong to me. Found student loans that should have been listed as consolidated (closed) to be part of a bankruptcy, found my birthdate, name, an address and alias were all wrong. I could go on and on. Basically my report was a nightmare and my credit score was less than 500 and sinking fast. I thought at first it was just a case of mixed up identities but then when I went to open a utility account a couple of weeks ago they said someone opened an acct with my ss # a few yrs ago and left an open balance. They cleared the acct after investigating but the credit bureau is a different story.
My question is, where do I begin?? Do I file a police report? I honestly don't know if my identity was stolen or just "mixed up" by the bureau. I did open a dispute claim with Equifax over a month ago but no response yet and items are still showing on my report. I need help!
Hi corymia,
You will probably have to send debt validation letters to each of them asking them to send you proof that the debts belong to you. Make sure to send the letters certified with receipt. So you will have proof they got it. There will be others as well that may be able to help you out as well. So just hang in there.
Corymia , you will really have your work cut out for you but it needs to get done. If you investigated the one account and it is not yours I would call and inquire about the other listings. Dispute any that you know is not yours and do it with all three bureaus. Next for any debt that are listed on your report that you feel are not your get debt validation letters out, certified and return receipt requested.
If it looks as if these are mostly fraudulent accounts then yes contact the police and file a report. You also should put a fraud alert on your three credit reports so that you can be protected from any furture attempts.