Things Credit Bureaus do not want you to know Each of the items present on your credit file has

to be backed up with some proof or it has to be deleted from your credit report. When a credit bureau is unable to verify the item in dispute when an investigation is open, it has to be removed from your credit file whether its accurate or not. All negative entries on your credit report may be contested or denied at any given time. By law, the credit bureau has to investigate and if the item is not verified/proven within a "30 day period", it has be deleted from your credit report. When items are challenged, they can be deleted by accident. Consumers often tell us that they experience computer mistakes. Often times a creditor doesn't re-verify within their 30 day window or in most cases the credit bureau may simply be too busy to prove your dispute. Those are means for immediate deletion of the item in dispute. The newer an item in dispute is, the easier it is to re-verify. The possibility of records not existing after 1 to 2 years is strong and not too farfetched. All disputed items must be corrected or deleted. Items that have not been re-verified or confirmed must be removed. Never confirm any account if their information is inaccurate. Never Xerox a premade dispute letter (Be original). Try to send your disputes during the busiest time of year. For Example: Beginning to the 15th of November usually causes a huge verification delay because of Thanksgiving. Also, Christmas time for your creditor and/or the credit bureaus can also cause them a huge delay before they have a chance to investigate within the 30 day period. Dont give up! Exercise your rights under the FCRA, Section 611 (a)(6) and (7) and request the credit reporting agency give you the Method of Verification. Your rights under Fair Credit Reporting Act summarized in 6 points You have the every right to contest any inaccuracies on your credit report whenever you like. Credit bureaus have to reinvestigate any item you decide to challenge free of charge. Credit bureaus have to reinvestigate within a 30 day period or a reasonable amount of time. That usually means within no more than 30 days unless of course the bureau send you a notification of delay (so keep accurate records). If any of the credit bureaus find any errors in the any disputed items, then they have to correct or delete the item in dispute from your credit report immediately.

If a credit bureau does not or cannot confirm your disputed item within the 30 day period, they must then delete that item from your credit report immediately. You have every right to include your Consumer Statement (your side of the story) or your opinion of the situation. If you decide to dispute any inaccuracies on your credit file and it is indeed confirmed by the lender as accurate, the credit bureau must include your original explanation of your disputed item, as long as you requested it, in your credit file. Be brief and put in the effort to limit your explanation to 100 words or less. Easy items to dispute and Remove >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Any item older than 2 years Discharged bankruptcies Inquiries Charge-offs Car Repos Late payments Any Account that was late but is now paid off

These items are usually easy to remove because when you open a dispute on a more aged account or a paid or charged off account, the creditor is simply less concerned with the account and just doesn't keep it on record. More that likely that creditor is unable to locate the necessary information to verify the disputed item. Whether the account was seriously past due or not doesn't make a difference as long as it was paid offid off. The creditor will not waste time to verify the disputed item since they already fot their money. Difficult items to dispute >> >> >> >> Recent Bankruptcies Any Account that is currently past due>> Judgments State Tax & IRS Liens Current collection accounts

They are more difficult because your creditors keep these accounts in their current file system and they want you to pay them. This makes it easy for them to verify disputed information and keep the disputed item on your credit report. But, it is certainly worth a shit. Important: It is 100% legal for you to dispute any item on your credit report even if you know that it is correct. You are simply testing the waters. You are checking to see if your creditors have maintained the appropriate records to verify the disputed negative item. Remember, you simply have a very bad memory and forgot if the negative account on your credit report is really yours. All Federal Laws require the Credit Bureaus to verify any disputed items. If they are unwilling or unable to verify your dispute, it must be removed from your credit report.

In order to dispute an inquiry on your credit report, you should simply write that you have never applied for credit with that institution. If there are any negative items that you want removed from your credit report, such as a charge off, collection account or even a bankruptcy, you probably want to write that this item is does NOT belong to you and you want it removed immediately. If the account in dispute has been completely paid off, but was severely past due at one point or another, DO NOT say that account does not belong to you. Instead, write that it is indeed your account but was NEVER past due at any point. You also need it to reflect that it was always current and on time. A very extremely powerful tool to use: This technique is only used by attorneys. It would be very expensive to hire an attorney to do this on your behalf. However, by following these simple instructions you'll achieve similar results as an attorney without paying those high fees. If the credit bureau was successful in verifying any disputed information as accurate or correct, it would then remain on your credit report. So you will have to contact the creditor who is reporting the negative information. The creditor or institute that reported the negative item is usually listed on the bottom or left of your credit report. If you dont see their phone number, look online or call directory assistance in their city and ask for their phone number. Now, call and ask them to mail you written proof and any documentation that this is indeed your account, since you do not believe that the account belonged to you at any point. Just about every creditor and collections agency uses computers to store data about borrowers and they usually throw out signed contracts along with any other original documents. This makes it simple for these credit companies to store and organize information but makes it near impossible to prove the account is indeed your account and not just another mistake. Upon your request, Federal Law requires all creditors must provide you with a written document proving that the account in question is indeed your account. By written proof we mean a copy of the contract you have signed with the original creditor. As we described previously, you are stored on their computer system and chances are really good that they have rid themselves of any proof that ties you up with that account. The only creditors that usually keep record of proof are the courts (Unpaid Tax Liens, Recent Bankruptcies, Unpaid Child Support and Unpaid Judgments). Again, Federal Laws are on your side. If you claim an account is not yours while the creditor is unable to provide written proof that the account is indeed yours, they have to immediately remove the account from your credit report and cease any and all collections activity. If they do not provide written proof that its your account, there is one of two ways to remove the items in dispute (See Steps 1 & 2 in the next section).

Important: Only give a creditor 8 days tops to provide your with the proof you requested to your mailbox (4 days to find it and only 4 days for mail delivery). If it takes them any longer, they are probably unable to provide you with proof you should start taking the action below. If the creditor is unable to supply you with all the written proof that the account belongs to you, go to Step 4. Get an edge above your creditors Get on the phone and contact the Attorney General where your creditor is located. You can either obtain their phone number from directory assistance or you can search for it online. Simply tell them that you this creditor is damaging your credit and they are reporting an account that does not belong to you. Tell them that you have requested proof of account ownership and they do not have it. They will then contact the creditor in question and have that account immediately removed from your credit report. This is a legal service that is free to your and almost guarantees that they will get your negative item in dispute removed. If you want to turn a quick profit from your creditor then take them to a small claims court. This can be easily accomplished by calling your county courthouse and asking about the proper procedure to follow to get a court date. It is easy and you can do it all by yourself. You'll be asked to complete a simple form outlining your complaint. If you want, you may write that you wish to have the item in dispute removed from your credit report since it is not yours and the creditor has no proof that the account is yours. After you receiving a court appearance date, mark it in your calendar and be certain to attend at the place, time, and date scheduled. When in court, bring along the return receipts from when you sent the registered mail you used for the disputes along with a copy of your phone bill when you called. Sue the creditor for your emotional stress and expenses. Remember, if they are unable to provide you or the court with proof that this account is indeed yours, you will win and the account will be removed from your credit report! If the creditor you are suing is located out of state and does not show in court, you are the winner by default. Hint: we have yet to hear of any creditor actually making an appearance to a court date. They are way too busy to waste their time or money on 1 person when they have other people to service instead. You also have the option of contacting a lawyer in your area for a free consultation about what your rights are in reference to your situation. If the creditor is somehow able to come forward with the written proof you requested, offer to settle your debt for 15 cents on the $dollar that is of course if you have the money to do so. If you don't have the money, please skip to Step 5. If you owe $1,000, offer them $150. If they refuse your offer then tell them that you are going to file Bankruptcy and they wont get a dime. This will defiantly get their attention and open them up some more to negotiate your debt. What you agree to pay them should much less than what you originally owed. Never agree to pay any penalties or interest charges on collection or past due accounts. If you unable to come up with the money to make the payment arrangement, start over and back to Step 1 of this section. Remember, the laws are on your side and you are legally allowed to dispute any negative items on your credit report EVERY

MONTH. You have every right to repeat this process as many times as you like until the credit bureaus give up on verifying the item you are disputing then remove it. The creditors simply do not have the manpower to handle the tons of credit disputes they receive daily, so if you stay persistent, eventually they will give up or slip and your item may be removed. At times the credit bureaus will reply by stating that they have already verified all of your information as accurate. If this is the case, write back stating that it is Federal Law that they must verify all of your disputes and that you WILL sue them for $4,500 for each and every dispute that they do not properly handle. Once they are aware that you know your rights, they'll become cooperative immediately. Extremely Important: If at any point you agree to a payment arrangement with a creditor, only do so only under one simple condition: That before you send them any money, the creditor has to mail you a clear written agreement that they will report your account as never late, current, and paid off. Otherwise, tell them that you would rather it stay on your credit report and it is simply not be worth paying.