How to Dispute an Online Credit Inquiry

An inquiry on your credit report occurs when you apply for credit and a lender pulls your credit report. If you pull your credit report and see numerous inquiries that were not authorized, you might want to dispute them with the credit bureaus. However, you should look over the inquiries meticulously because generally, if you have numerous inquiries from a home loan, auto loan, or student loan, the inquiries are treated as one transaction and affect your credit score only minimally.

Instructions

1

Write a letter to the lender or agency that has pulled your credit report without authorization and notify it that you are disputing this information on your credit report. Be sure to send the letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, and include your name, address, account number, and a copy of your credit report with the item circled or highlighted. Request that the information be investigated and deleted from your credit report.

2

Log on to each of the three credit bureaus and find the online dispute form. Depending on which credit bureau you are dealing with, the dispute might be completed online. If there is not an option to dispute online, you can send a letter to the credit bureau, certified and return receipt requested. Again, be sure to include your name, address, any credit bureau identification number, name of the lender or agency and its account number, and with a copy of the credit report with the information circled. Request an investigation and a deletion of the unauthorized inquiry from your credit report.

3

Retrieve the signed green certified cards from the mail and keep them for your records. If you have disputed online with any of the credit bureaus, print a confirmation of your dispute. Typically, an investigation into your dispute will take 30 to 45 days. The companies and bureaus probably will either provide information verifying authorization of the inquiries or delete the inquiry from your credit report.