Someone Else's Accounts on Your Report: Fixing a Mixed File

Pull each report and compare the personal information section

Start by pulling your reports from all three credit bureaus (the companies that collect and sell your credit history): Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The personal information section of each report can list your names, prior addresses, current addresses, employers, and phone numbers, so read through it carefully and mark every item that does not belong to you.

A wrong old address may seem like a small detail, but it can connect your file to accounts or collections (past-due debts handed to a collection company) that are not yours. If the same wrong address appears next to an account that also does not belong to you, note that connection so you can include it in the dispute, which is the formal request asking the credit bureau to correct or remove information.

List the information that does not belong to you

AnnualCreditReport.com says a mixed file dispute can include your complete identifying information, such as your full name, middle name, suffix, date of birth, Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, and complete address including your apartment number if applicable. Use copies of your identity documents if the credit bureau requests them, send only what the credit bureau asks for, and keep a copy of everything you send.

It helps to separate a mixed file from identity theft, because the fix can look different. A mixed file means another person's information may be attached to your report, while identity theft means someone used your information. If an account belongs to another person with a similar name, your dispute can focus on correcting the mixed file. If an account was opened using your information without your permission, IdentityTheft.gov may be part of your next step.

Your dispute should name each incorrect item rather than say something vague like "my report is wrong." Use direct wording that gives the credit bureau enough information to investigate, and keep the list factual.

Go through your reports and note each item that does not belong to you:

• Wrong name or name variation
• Wrong Social Security number fragment if shown
• Wrong date of birth if shown
• Wrong phone number
• Wrong current or prior address
• Wrong employer
• Account that belongs to another person
• Collection tied to another person
• Inquiry tied to another person

Label each incorrect item with direct wording, for example:

• This address does not belong to me.
• This account does not belong to me.
• This collection belongs to another person.
• This employer is not mine.
• This phone number is not mine.
• This name variation is not mine.

Ask for correction or removal

The FTC explains that a credit report dispute should ask the credit bureau to remove or correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete. Include a copy of the report with the mistakes marked, along with copies of your supporting documents, so the credit bureau can see exactly what you want changed.

Track the response from each bureau

One credit bureau can correct your file while another keeps reporting the wrong information, so track each dispute separately and save the letter, your proof, the mailing record, and the result for each one. If a credit bureau says an item was verified and it still does not belong to you, your next response can include a stronger proof packet and a follow-up plan.