There are a number of reasons why you might need to dispute credit score information. What follows is a basic list of those reasons and how you to go through the dispute process. Here are some of the top reasons to dispute a credit score.
This does not mean that any time you are denied credit there is something wrong with your credit score. However, if you pay your bills on time consistently, do not have an excessive amount of debt and have above average income, you may want to question your score. There are other reasons that you might have a poor credit score or that you are denied credit despite having a good credit score, but a situation like this is one that should get your attention.
If you are noticing bills that you do not recognize, if you recently lost your ID or credit cards, or if you have responded to a mysterious online password request and you suddenly have a much lower credit score, it is almost certain that you are a victim of identity theft. You’ll want to verify this, but there’s a good chance you’ll want to dispute that credit score.
It takes time for the credit bureaus to adjust your credit report, assuming the agencies who are supposed to report your information have done so accurately. If you’ve recently made moves that should result in a boost to your credit score, you may want to contact the credit reporting bureaus personally to verify that they have this information.
To dispute your credit score, first you have to know what it is. You can get free credit score information from CreditScore.com. If your scores are much lower than expected, carefully pore over the report. If you find something in your credit history that doesn’t make sense, you’ll want to dispute it. This includes credit cards or loans you never applied for or don’t currently have, loan requests made in your name that you are not aware of, or even a misreporting of your income. If any information is incorrect, you have a case to dispute your score. Contact the credit reporting bureaus immediately and explain the mistake, presenting any evidence you may have for your case. With any luck, the credit bureaus will recognize what has happened, remove the offending material from the report, and as a result, your credit score will go up. It is very important to make sure that you are receiving monthly credit reports. This will allow you to confirm that your score was corrected and remains corrected, and will let you know if anyone is still trying to use your accounts without your knowledge.