Dispute Question

[dummett205]

Hi,
I am 25 yrs old and have recently pulled my credit for the first time. I noticed 4 collections that belong to me at an address i have not lived at. I never received a collection letter because i dont live there and i am way past the thirty days for required debt validation. What is the best way for me to dispute these accounts and rid myself of this most distressing matter.

Thanks in advance

[chane]

Dispute the bad addresses, then wait 30-45 days. Then, dispute the CAs. You may want to try the 1-2 punch.

[dummett205]

Thanks a mil chane, i believe i may have posted this a little prematurely i have since done a little investigated (not sure if thats a good idea) but here are the results

noticed two accounts: one from chase (by way of wamu, by way of providian) and dell, both opened without my knowledge in 2005 at an address i used to live at. Also i noticed three CA's, one for the chase account, and two for a sprint cellphone.

I spoke with Sprint/the Sprint CA's:
1. Sprint sent me a fraud packet to dispute the account
2. One collection agency is not the current holder of the account and will delete the negative information

I spoke with Dell:
1. They said they had no information and said i had to call the CA for more info, this CA doesn't appear on my CR

I spoke with Chase/Chase CA's:
1. As per the regular CS dept, Chase records were a mess regarding the account which had many address changes ranging from New York to Cali and many authorized users
2. The recovery department said i had to speak with the CA
3. The CA says the account has already been turned over to an attorney which is filing suit against me

[chane]

Your best bet is disputing them first. No need to mess around calling them if they can be removed from your credit report. The FCRA says that if they don't respond to your dispute within 30 days, they must be removed from your credit report.

[dummett205]

Originally Posted by chane

Your best bet is disputing them first. No need to mess around calling them if they can be removed from your credit report. The FCRA says that if they don't respond to your dispute within 30 days, they must be removed from your credit report.

Yea i figure calling them is a big no no after reading around....but should i dispute with the CRAs stating identity theft or debt validation with the CAs...or should i do the 1, 2 punch. debt validation and then dispute with the CRAs stating identity theft..mind you i'm sure i'm way out of the 30 day initial contact since i never got the original notices

[chane]

You should do both (the 1-2 punch). You don't have to give any reason for disputing. If you claim identity theft, they will put a fraud alert (block) on all 3 of your credit files. It's a pain in the ass to get off. I wouldn't do it unless you want to have to call the CRAs every time you apply for credit.