As hard as it is to get that perfect credit score, it can be even harder when you have errors on your credit report. Unfortunately, errors occur all the time because some creditors and debt collection agencies will do anything to collect a debt, even when those methods are not necessarily scrupulous. A single error can drop your credit score by several points, making it very important that you do all that you can to keep these errors off of your credit report.
To be able to remove errors from your credit card, it can sometimes help you to know how these things get on your credit report in the first place. Some errors occur because your name or social security number is similar to someone else’s. Another way that errors can get on your credit report is in the case of divorces, when one partner or the other, or even both, have bad credit, one may wind up with the other’s debts, and the reverse may also happen. Some unscrupulous debt collectors will even revive debts that you have paid off, and try to tell you that you haven’t, reporting these debts on your credit report.
Now that you know how those errors get there in the first place, it is time to figure out how to correct them. Look at your credit report at least once a year so that you know what is on it. When you run across an error, send a certified letter, return receipt requested, to the credit reporting agency that is reporting the debt, disputing the debt. It helps if you know why the debt may be on your credit report, so that you can include that in your letter. Let them know politely in your letter that this is not your debt, and it must be in error. The debt collection agency or creditor will have the opportunity to validate the debt, so you will want to include copies of any paperwork or anything that can prove that the debt is not yours. If the debt truly is not your debt, and you have all the paperwork to prove it, you will be able to get it removed from your credit report. Keep disputing until you get it removed.
Knowing how to get errors removed from your credit report is an important part of taking care of your credit. It is important to keep your credit as good as you can, so that you may qualify for car loans, mortgages, and anything else that you may need credit for.