How to Dispute Outdated Collections on a Credit Report

Every day, thousands of individuals, attempt to dispute with debt collectors collection accounts that appear on their credit report. Many are not successful because they are not familiar with their rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Successfully disputing outdated collection accounts can be a challenge; however, if you have the right information to develop your plan and strategy, you can be successful.

Instructions

1

Get your three consumer credit reports--Equifax, Experian and TransUnio--for free at annualcreditreport.com (see Resources). This is a portal that will take you to each credit bureaus website to get access to your credit report.

2

Check each report to determine which credit bureaus are reporting the outdated collection accounts. Those will be the credit bureaus you will focus on.

3

Initiate an online dispute by going to each credit bureau's website that is reporting the outdated collection accounts (see Resources).

4

Save to your computer or print your dispute information. Make a note of the date you disputed the outdated collection accounts. After your submission, the credit bureaus have up to 30 days to complete an investigation of your dispute and send the results to you.

5

Call the credit bureaus to follow up if you have not received a response to your dispute after 30 days from your submission date. Before you call, make sure you have the credit report you used to dispute the outdated collection accounts. Each credit bureau's telephone number is located at the end of your credit report.

6

Send a dispute letter via certified mail if your online dispute is unsuccessful. If the credit bureau's response to your dispute does not result in removal of the outdated collection accounts, request a reinvestigation in writing and not online. Send the debt collector a copy of the letter.