Transunion dispute issues... Warning! very in-depth.

[SkunkyBeaumont]

Okay, so I’ve been trying to dispute a Verizon account that I noticed on my Transunion report for about 2 months now. The account was allegedly opened Aug 2016.

Admittedly, I was never really concerned with monitoring this bureau because as long as I’ve had credit karma, creditwise, nerd wallet, etc.. the info pertaining to my Transunion has always been heavily lacking.

Well, I decided in late Feb, early March this year to do something about it, so I called Transunion to discuss my issue with their reporting. Initially They denied there was an issue. A week or two later my credit karma, and other report providers started to get populated.

I noticed two problems an inquiry with the date August 2016 for my mortgage company(We got the house in 2011)<—Small Potatoes....And the VERIZON collection account, with the same month and year.

There is no description of what type of VERIZON account it is. I disputed the collection account through transunion and the collection company sends me verification for the VERIZON account in the form of a HOSPITAL BILL (Same collection company name on the letter head)dated January 2013 with my common name and address on the outside of the letter.

On the inside the were 5 pages with the words “verification for your recent dispute” The itemization summary page has the address and other sensitive info of someone else with the same name who lives in Phoenix Arizona. I’m from Philadelphia and I’ve never been to Arizona.

The hospital bill is NOT on my Trans report,but the Verizon account is. I’ve disputed through Karma stating it is not my account but It says it didn’t go through because of an error, so I tried again listed the numbers are wrong the date is wrong and in the text box I stated it’s not my account, soon after the account was verified by Transunion which puts me on my 3rd dispute made via call in.

I am more than sure I am doing this wrong. Which is why I posted. The initials of the collection company are D.R.S

[Kree]

Hi Skunky,

Your post is very hard to read. To get more helpful responses I would recommend editing your post and adding in some paragraphing.

Additional hard returns never hurt either.

If I am reading your post correctly you believe that there is a fraudulant tradeline on your Transunion credit report.  To get this removed the easiest way is to file a identity theft report with your local police department. Using this in your dispute, Transunion is required to delete the tradeline without interaction with the alleged creditor.

Hope that helps, good luck.

[JVille]

You dispute with the 3 Major Bureau NOT credit Karma. So if this is only in TransUnion that’s who you file with and in writing.

[SkunkyBeaumont]

I understand what you’re saying; but Credit Karma has an option to dispute through their site directly to Transunion. This is what I’ve done. I’ve also called Transunion directly with no luck.

What I should have done,is mailed(certified)or faxed Transunion all pertinent information directly to their front door. My issue is very wordy and maybe too much to digest. I apologize.

[ytzak]

      Okay, slow down, take a breath and review what you have. Verizon (the telecommunications company) seems to be your problem (unless there is a Verizon Hospital in Phoenix). Now you state that this is a collection account. That means the collection agency must send you data on the telecommunication account not the hospital account (that is another issue). In order for you to get your ducks in a row, you must first send a Validation Demand Letter to the collection agency. This is different from a dispute in that the CA must provide all the data on the original account. If they send you data on the hospital (and you can prove you have never been there etc.) then case closed. According to 15 USC 1692g Sec.809(b) “…the debt collector shall cease collection of the debt, or any disputed portion thereof, until…a copy of such verification or judgment, or name and address of the original creditor, is mailed to the consumer by the debt collector.” You will notice that the law uses the word "Verification" but it actually means that they have to send you the copy of that Verification - the PROOF, which is the Validation, of the alleged debt. According to Sec.809(a) you must do this along with your dispute. That puts all things on hold.

     At this point they must link the telecommunication company with the hospital. Remember, Validation is NOT Verification. CAs try to correlate the two terms for their convenience. You will see a letter something like: "We contacted the original creditor and they verified that the name, address, account number and amount we are reporting is correct.” This is not acceptable. Validation is the production of PROOF! Physical, paper, PROOF (or a recorded conversation)! Validation is producing a contract between you and them. You should want to see both sides of it, front and back, to prove there were no alterations rendering it void, after you signed it as well. Furthermore, 3rd party collectors should also prove that they have the right to collect on the alleged debt.

     Remember there is no time limit for a CA to validate the account; however, they cannot report or collect until they do so. If it is validated, then the clock starts 30-days after they validate.

Validation is Not Correlation

     Each and every debt is autonomous. Think of it like this. You pay your airline bill with your airline credit card. You default on your CC even though it went through when you paid your airline bill. Assuming the airline CC is self-funded (no third party institution) the airline cannot collect on your bill but only the CC sub-corporation. Even if there is a third party, the airline cannot collect once they accepted payment and provided service (but this gets a bit tricky).

     So start by validating your account (along with a repeat of your dispute request). Do it in writing for you will most likely need the documentation later. Send everything certified with a return receipt addressed to a person if you have one (do a little research). There are copies of how to do it on the forum as well as on the net. If this is a valid debt, don’t do it; it will hurt you in the long haul. If it is not, you must make them follow the law. You have legal options that you can do yourself once you have the proper paperwork – but that is for another time. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Y