Bad checks being reported as collection accounts!!!!!

[Anonymous]

There were a few bad checks written back in 02-03. They were paid and all fees associated with the mistake were also taken care of. But in 2005 they started reporting the bad checks as collection accounts on my CR, I should also point out that these were paid long before they started showing on my CRs. There is a total of 3 negative marks because of this and it is really hurting my Fico score. Is it even legal to report bad checks like this? I never received an opportunity to DV these debts, If I request supporting documentation now, are they required to produce it? Can they report these items for the first time years after the debt has been paid? Please help, my wife and I want to buy a car later this year and this is killing my score.

[Anonymous]

I had one from Domino's pizza in 2004 that was paid ($15) also right away.  This ended up showing up on my credit report as a collection as well.  I tried to find the original company to send a GW letter to, but the company was no longer in business.

So, I disputed account through the credit bureau (I think it was only reporting on EQ), and they deleted it. 

I would try disputing them with the credit bureaus asap.

[Anonymous]

The thing about DV's is that the 30-day timeline is sort of fuzzy. They are supposed to notify you by law when they are planning to take any negative actions towards you, and if they didn't then technically it's a violation but it's hard to prove. In you're DV, make sure to point out that you saw this on your credit reports and that you have never received any notification of it. In theory, the day you saw it on your reports is the start of the 30 days. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. If they don't respond to the DV then they should have to remove it but some places are stickier than others. The best course of action would be to DV them CMRRR, and then when you get your green slip back in the mail, THEN dispute. They call it the 1-2 punch and it is often successful according to many on this forum. Give that a shot and see what happens.

Message Edited by orhippychic on 02-21-2008 10:31 AM