Very few people know what the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is or how it affects their rights. The FCRA is a federal law that dictates how information about YOU is recorded and shared with others. Information contained on a written report about you is governed by the FCRA. Some examples would be your credit report or a background check.
A common FCRA claim would be a status dispute, where a debt you never had appears on your credit report or the debt was paid, and it shows as unpaid. Status disputes are common if you have ever had debt discharged in bankruptcy. There is also a “mixed files” claim, where the debt of someone with a similar name is accidentally put on your credit report. Another less known claim is the impermissible purpose claim, where someone runs a credit check or background report on you and uses that information wrongfully, causing you injury as a result. The most commonly known FCRA claim is for identity theft, where someone takes your personal information and uses it to acquire and use credit, leaving you with the bill.
It is important to monitor your credit report for inaccuracies. Annualcreditreport.com allows you to check your credit report for free once a week until April 2021. If you find something wrong, contact us today to discuss pursuing a claim at no cost to you.
