How to Remove a Duplicate Credit Report

The U.S. credit reporting system is complex and monitors the credit of millions of Americans. Thus, it sometimes happens that duplicate reports can appear on your credit report as a result of computer or human errors. Clearing up inaccurate or duplicate information on your credit report is not the same as removing valid debts.

Instructions

1

Obtain a current copy of your credit report from all three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).

2

Carefully review your report, noting items that you believe are duplicates.

3

Review the duplicate items more closely. Ensure that the creditor names and contact information are the same, and take extra care to ensure that the amounts of the debts are the same and that the account numbers listed are the same. If this is the case, the items are duplicates.

If ALL of the information is not exactly the same, it is possible the items are separate debts. Contact the creditor(s) for more information about this report.

4

Contact the credit bureau(s) that provided the report with duplicates to file a dispute. All three major credit bureaus now offer you the option to dispute items on your credit report by postal mail or online. Be sure to provide all of the account information for the duplicate account, and note that you believe the item is a duplicate, not that the debt is invalid, and reference the other item.

5

Await the results of the credit bureau(s) investigation, which usually takes 30-45 days. If the item is indeed found to be a duplicate, when the credit bureau contacts the creditor, the item will be removed from your credit report.

Otherwise, you will receive a notice stating that the results of the investigation indicated the item is valid. You must then contact the original creditor to resolve the issue.