How to Stop a Debt Collector's Hard Credit Pull

A hard credit pull is when a creditor identifies a problem with your account, namely a late or missed payment, and inquires about you via credit bureaus. When a debt collector shows up on your report, it is called a hard pull because it can negatively affect your credit score; meanwhile, a soft inquiry just checks the status of your other accounts. Though there is no guarantee that it will work, you can take steps to try to stop a debt collector from doing a hard credit pull.

Instructions

1

Contact the debt collector as soon as you receive a letter or have a discussion at the first call. In many cases, if the debt collector can't get in touch with you, he may resort to going to a credit bureau instead to find out how to reach you. Your credit report contains information about your most recent addresses and phone numbers. The debt collectors may also look to see if you have available credit lines to pay off the debt.

2

Collect information related to the debt from the bill collector and negotiate to come to a proposed settlement regarding the matter.

3

Request that as part of the settlement the debt collector agrees not to do a hard credit pull. If the collector already did a hard pull, ask him to remove the negative item as a condition of your settlement.

4

Get your agreement from the collector and the settlement details in writing. Abide by your side of the settlement arrangement to avoid having the debt collector report to credit bureaus in the future.