A little advice
I checked my Equifax credit report the other day and got a nasty shock. Three duplicate Capital One accounts were listed, all opened on the same date back in 2004, none with a balance, and (the important part) none of which were legit.
I had one Capital One card opened a long time ago, and it was closed in ~ 2006 with a letter sent to the company, etc. So my first panicked thought was that someone had stolen my ID. But that didn't really make sense, considering there was no balance on the accounts and they were, for all intents and purposes, identical. I keep a pretty close watch on my report, so I knew this stuff had just popped up in the last month or so. There was also another, previously paid off and closed bill, which was still listed as Open on the report. What's going on here, people?
The good news is that the dispute I started for the listings came back yesterday, and everything was resolved appropriately. The Capital One accounts have been removed, and the old bill has been marked Paid and Closed. The bad news is that I should probably check TransUnion and Experian and make sure those are all in line as well.
Still...just a reminder that identity theft isn't the only thing for which to be on the lookout. Gross inaccuracy and laziness/neglect on the part of creditor reporting can also negatively affect your score, and your consumer options.
I had one Capital One card opened a long time ago, and it was closed in ~ 2006 with a letter sent to the company, etc. So my first panicked thought was that someone had stolen my ID. But that didn't really make sense, considering there was no balance on the accounts and they were, for all intents and purposes, identical. I keep a pretty close watch on my report, so I knew this stuff had just popped up in the last month or so. There was also another, previously paid off and closed bill, which was still listed as Open on the report. What's going on here, people?
The good news is that the dispute I started for the listings came back yesterday, and everything was resolved appropriately. The Capital One accounts have been removed, and the old bill has been marked Paid and Closed. The bad news is that I should probably check TransUnion and Experian and make sure those are all in line as well.
Still...just a reminder that identity theft isn't the only thing for which to be on the lookout. Gross inaccuracy and laziness/neglect on the part of creditor reporting can also negatively affect your score, and your consumer options.
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