7. Be Careful How You Describe an Account Number
Your dispute notice should include adequate identification about yourself, identify the account or other item
being disputed, and explain why it is disputed. Make sure your description is broad enough to encompass the
disputed account even if the number changes. Otherwise, the credit reporting agency may take the disputes
literally, and do nothing more than what is expressly requested.
For example, if you write, “I have never had an MBNA credit card, so delete MBNA account #1234,” the credit
reporting agency will only delete an account with that number, and not other MBNA accounts listed on your
credit report (or former MBNA accounts now listed as Bank of America – which bought MBNA - or “FIA Card
Services” – which is the Bank of America credit card division for former MBNA accounts). Many furnishers
change account numbers after an initial dispute is made, and disputing just the old account number might not
affect these new accounts. Other times, the account number in your monthly statement is different than the
number used in your file at the credit reporting agency (or by a debt collector to which the debt is transferred).
To prevent these problems, your dispute should describe the full range of accounts the dispute covers. For
example, “I have never had a MBNA credit card. Any MBNA account in my credit file is not mine and should
be deleted. This includes account number 1234, as well as any other account you may be reporting, as well
as any account that may be reported by Bank of America, FIA Card Services, or any debt collector who is
reporting an account that was formerly an MBNA account.”
8. Include All Documentary Evidence and Suggest Investigative Steps the Credit
Reporting Agency Should Take
Your notice of dispute should include all documentary evidence and other information that supports your
claim. If your creditor has provided a letter or statement confirming its understanding that the reported
information was inaccurate, the letter should be provided with the dispute to the credit reporting. Make sure
to send copies of these documents; keep the originals.
While it is certainly not a requirement, you could also suggest what steps the credit reporting agency could
take to best accomplish the investigation. If your dispute is that you never opened an account with a particular
creditor, you could request that the credit reporting agency obtain a copy of the application or contract from
the furnisher. You could provide several handwriting samples, such as copies of cancelled checks, a driver’s
license or backs of credit cards that include your signature. To prevent any arguments by the credit reporting
agency that it would be unreasonable to expect them to pay for a handwriting analysis, you could offer to pay
this expense.
You should also provide the name and contact information of any witnesses who support your dispute. For
example, if you have been in direct contact with a creditor’s customer service representative who agreed with
your position, the dispute letter could provide the name and address of that person. You could request that
the credit reporting agency manually send the dispute directly to that person. If the dispute concerns a public
record, a request for investigation could include the name and telephone number of the court clerk. If there
was prior litigation involved, the dispute letter could include the name and telephone number of the attorney
who previously represented the creditor.
9. Include Information Questioning the Furnisher’s Accuracy in Other Contexts
Some furnishers, especially debt collectors, have been the subject of complaints or lawsuits by other
consumers, or even government agencies, for inaccurate information. A dispute letter should include any
available information like that, which raises questions about the accuracy of the furnisher’s information. A
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