If you are planning to purchase a car, take out a loan or use other forms of credit, your credit report is of the utmost importance. If anything takes your credit score down, it can impact the amount you can borrow and the interest rates you face.
You know you have perfect credit, because you always pay your bills on time. Additionally, you have taken time to learn about ways to boost your credit and know you haven’t made any major errors. Despite this, when you go to get a loan for your car, you’re denied. What happened? Your credit score is being shown as 600, when you believe it should be in the 700s.
This is not an uncommon occurrence, unfortunately, and it can be caused by inaccurate reports being on your credit report. If you discover that there is an inaccurate report on your credit, you need to take time to dispute the errors.
It’s very important to review your credit report. There are websites that allow you to view it at your leisure, once a month and at other intervals. It’s up to you how much you check it, but it’s a good idea to do so before you head out to get a loan, mortgage or other credit. When you know where you stand, there’s no question of your ability to get the money you need.
Another reason to look at your credit report is to stop identity theft. Someone who has your credit card numbers could be racking up bills in your name. Someone with your Social Security number could be taking out loans in your name and defaulting on them, making you the victim of a serious criminal act.
When you notice errors on your credit report, you must report them to the credit agency. The agency then investigates the claims you make and comes back with its dispute results. If you win the dispute, the credit error is removed from your credit report. If not, then you are held liable for the defaults or open accounts that were investigated.
If there are accounts you don’t own but that you can’t have removed, your attorney can help. Being a victim of fraud is difficult, but it doesn’t have to ruin your life.
Source: Nov. 30, -0001
