Comments on: Two Negative Items on My Credit Report

By: yan

yan — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:32:38 +0000

This is not a very encouraging new at all. I tend to agree with others, it doesn’t sound like a coincidence at all. Keep us informed on how things develop, and good luck!

By: EMF

EMF — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:07:19 +0000

When I first checked my credit reports a couple of years ago, one of the agencies that starts with “E” had my credit history mixed up with that of someone else who has the same first name and apparently the same SSN except for one digit (a “4″ VS a “9″, which can also be confused if the handwriting is sloppy). But the report listed the other person’s name and SSN.

When I complained in writing, they corrected my report and stripped the other person’s info out.

By: nelson

nelson — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 23:02:39 +0000

I had a similar problem when applying for insurance (credit checks for insurance rates is a whole other issue). They said I had “too many accounts” and was being dinged for that. I too got a free credit report and found that it was 50 pages long! Which is odd because two months earlier I had a credit check for a government clearance and it was completely correct and much shorter.

I called Experian and they said that what must have happened was that my file was “joined” with three other people’s files because I have a common name. Nevermind the fact that I always use my middle initial, they joined my file with other files and my file read as such:

Name (my name), other aliases (the other three guys’ names), SSN (my social), other known SSNs (their socials), my addresses, their addresses (two must have been in the army…lots of military base addresses), all of my accounts and all of their accounts.

I was suprised that I could see the other guys’ SSNs, bank accounts, credit cards, addresses and everything else. I was also surprised that the CS rep said this happens all the time (even though SSNs were unique between all 4 of us), and suggested that I pay $5.95 a month to monitor my credit report for any inaccuracies. I laughed at the fact that the CS Rep wanted ME to pay THEM $5.95 a month to monitor any mistakes THEY made. I asked if the $5.95 a month would mean that they would clear up any problems or if I would have to initiate all changes. The CS Rep said I’d still have to call, so I pointed out how absurd that sounds. The rep didn’t say anything else.

Anyway, 30 minutes later my record was clear. That was 4 months ago…I checked all 3 not too long ago and they were clear. Such a hassle.

So I hope that your problem is just the “joining” of another file due to the one inaccuracy.

By: amillionby40

amillionby40 — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 21:20:46 +0000

Oh boy, that sure doesn’t sound very good. I hope that you aren’t the victim of identity theft. My dad had some problem with that and it was a headache. I agree with Rich Slick about filing a police report. The police will probably not help you at all but usually the lendor/creditor requires that to prove your “innocence”, so to speak. Good luck.

By: buttercrud

buttercrud — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 20:27:04 +0000

Maybe this is coincidence, but lately, out-of-the-blue, a collection agency for Verizon has been trying to reach me repeatedly to collect a debt for around $120. Too weird. My credit report looks OK though, but I’m watching it. Good luck.

By: Rich Slick

Rich Slick — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 17:09:22 +0000

I suspect that you have been a victim of identity theft and the pattern appears to be that of someone in the US (probably undocumented illegal) using your identity for work rather than for theft or profit. I had a family member go through identity theft and it starts out small: a new cell phone contract or local department store credit card and ends with car loans and home mortgage – all in your name.

I would encourage you to file a police report asap with Pennsylvania State Police (or whatever agency deals with such matters) and you should probably sign up for a year worth of credit monitoring service to be on the safe side.