How to Get an Unverified Debt Removed From the Credit Bureau

Credit reporting agencies, also known as credit bureaus, maintain a file listing all of your debts and your payment history on these accounts. You have a right, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, to dispute any piece of information on your credit report that you believe is incorrect. When the credit bureau investigates the dispute and the company that holds the debt does not verify that the debt belongs to you, the credit bureau must remove it from your credit report.

Instructions

1

Obtain a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus: TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. If you have not already done so in the past year, you can get free reports through the Annual Credit Report website.

2

Circle any debts on your credit reports that do not belong to you.

3

Write a dispute letter to each credit bureau. In each letter, list the incorrect debt or debts that appear on that bureau's version of your credit report. State that these debts do not belong to you and request that they be removed from your credit report.

4

Staple a copy of your credit report with the disputed item or items circled to each of your letters.

5

Mail the letters to the credit bureaus through certified mail with a return receipt requested. This provides you with a paper trail of your dispute for future reference.