Hard Inquiries You Don't Recognize: When You Can Remove Them

First, confirm that it is a hard inquiry

Your credit report can show more than one inquiry section, so the first thing to settle is what kind of inquiry you are looking at. A hard inquiry is usually tied to a credit application that you submitted. A soft inquiry (a check that does not come from a credit application) can come from a prequalification offer, an account review by a company you already deal with, or you checking your own credit.

Once you have confirmed it is a hard inquiry, write down the details you will need later. Note the credit bureau where the inquiry appears, along with the company name, the inquiry date, and any address or phone number listed for that company on the report.

Check whether the name is connected to a lender you used

An inquiry name will not always match the store, website, or lender name you remember, so an unfamiliar name is not proof that something is wrong. A car dealer, a credit card offer, a retail card, a personal loan platform, a mortgage broker, an apartment screening company, or a financing partner may all show up under a different company name than the one you dealt with.

Before you treat the inquiry as an error, work through these checks to see whether it traces back to something you applied for:

• Search your email around the inquiry date for confirmations or offers.
• Review any loan, card, store financing, apartment, or auto purchase applications from around that date.
• Look for prequalification language and check whether a full application followed it.
• Consider whether a co-signed or joint application was submitted.
• Call the company listed on the report and ask what application or permissible purpose they used for the inquiry.

When the inquiry still looks wrong

If the company cannot match the inquiry to an application or account, you can prepare a dispute. Your dispute needs to name the credit bureau, the company, the inquiry date, and the reason you are challenging the inquiry.

If the inquiry may be tied to identity theft, add identity protection steps as well. The CFPB says that if you are a victim of identity theft, you can place fraud alerts or security freezes on your credit reports and file a report at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC also explains credit freezes and fraud alerts as tools for limiting access to your credit file or flagging the risk of identity theft.

What to include in the dispute packet

A dispute is easier for the credit bureau to review when it names one specific inquiry or a clearly connected group of inquiries, so it is worth avoiding a broad letter that disputes every inquiry at once. Letters that challenge every inquiry without dates, company names, or reasons can carry less weight. Gather the following for your packet:

• A copy of the credit report page showing the inquiry.
• Your written statement that you do not recognize the application or inquiry.
• Any company response showing no matching application or account.
• An identity theft report if the inquiry appears fraudulent.
• A copy of your ID and proof of address if the bureau requests identity documents.
• A certified mail receipt or other proof of sending if you mail the dispute.

Track the result

Credit reporting companies generally must investigate disputes within 30 days after receiving them, though some reviews can take up to 45 days. While you wait, keep your records together by saving the dispute letter, your proof of sending, the delivery record, and the credit bureau's response.