If you discover accounts on your report that are not yours you may be a victim of identity theft, or maybe not. Before jumping to conclusions you should take a few minutes to investigate. There may be a simple solution.
A Common Credit Repair Issue
Many credit reports have inaccurate information on them. One of the most common errors is the inclusion of someone else’s information due to what is referred to as a “file merger error” which can be easily remedied with a bit of credit repair. File merger errors are the result of intentionally flexible matching criteria on the part of the credit bureaus and can appear in the case that someone else’s data file includes a number of similar identifying characteristics.
Why File Merger Errors Occur
There are valid reasons for the seemingly lax matching process on the part of the credit bureaus. The flexibility allows for small errors on the part of data entry operators who may from time to time type in an incorrect digit or letter, or perhaps have less than complete information on a potential borrower. In these cases a credit report will still be accessible. Unfortunately, the downside is that when you share a number of common identifying characteristics with another person their accounts may show on your report. Fortunately, as mentioned, this is easily resolved with credit report repair.
Investigating the Problem
If you see an account on your report that you cannot identify as yours the first step is to call the creditor who is reporting the account and ask them for information. This phone call should resolve the question of whether you are a victim of identity theft or just another casualty of a file merger error. If the lender confirms that you have an account and can give you details, but you know for a fact that you did not open the account, you need to treat the situation as identity theft. On the other hand, if the lender indicates that they have no such account in your name it is most likely a file merger error and we can deal with this quickly through the credit bureaus.
Credit Repair Assistance
As always, if you have any concerns about file merger errors or identity theft, please contact us. We will be happy to review your case and provide the appropriate credit repair guidance.