17.3.3.1 Obtain a Consumer Report on the Consumer

This section provides a brief overview on how to dispute information in the consumer’s file. For more practical tips on disputing information in a consumer’s credit report, see NCLC’s Fair Credit Reporting.⁹⁸

Before disputing information in a consumer’s credit report, obtain a copy of that report from at least one of the three major nationwide CRAs, but preferably all three. Information in the three reports will be similar but not identical. The consumer will have to make sure that the information in all three reports is updated, so the dispute must be sent to all three nationwide CRAs.

The consumer is entitled to one free report a year from each of the three nationwide CRAs, using any of the three following methods:

• • Online at www.annualcreditreport.com;
• • By calling toll free (877) 322-8228; or
• • By sending a letter to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30374-5281.

The consumer may be asked detailed information about existing credit accounts and employment as a form of identification, in addition to the usual forms of identification.

In addition to a free annual report from the three nationwide CRAs, consumers have a number of other rights to obtain an additional free consumer report.⁹⁹ The consumer is entitled to a free credit report after an identity theft incident,¹⁰⁰ after a consumer receives notice of an adverse credit action that resulted from the consumer’s credit report,¹⁰¹ if the consumer is unemployed or on public assistance,¹⁰² or if state law so provides.¹⁰³ The consumer can also purchase a report relatively inexpensively, or purchase one of the many other, more expensive (and largely unnecessary) products that the nationwide CRAs market. Going to the three CRAs’ websites will provide easy access to all of these paid, but often useless, products.

Analyze the report carefully to see which entities supplied what information to the CRA, what information was inaccurate prior to the court judgment, and what information is now inaccurate because the consumer prevailed in the collection action. The consumer’s next step is to dispute with the relevant CRA all inaccurate information in the report, as described below.