How to Get Fraudulent Inquiries Removed from a Credit Report

Review your credit reports to look for fraudulent inquiries.

Although everyone's entitled to one free credit report a year, many people don't bother to order one. They should. Any fraudulent activity, such as an identify thief applying for a credit card in your name, could possibly show up as an inquiry. You want to remove these entries as quickly as possible.

Things You'll Need

• Credit reports

Instructions

1. Order a copy of your credit reports from each of the three credit bureaus -- Experian, Equifax and TransUnion -- from the website AnnualCreditRreport. Other companies may offer free credit reports, but many of these businesses also charge for additional credit monitoring.

2. On the last page of your credit report is the list of inquiries. These entries indicate creditors that checked your credit when you applied for financing or a loan. Review the list to see that each inquiry is legitimate. The report may go back years, so don't automatically suspect fraud if you see an inquiry that you do not recognize. You may have forgotten having had a credit card with a bank or borrowed money from a lender.

3. Carefully review the inquiries. If you find any suspicious entries, circle them on the report. Consider any requests for credit, loans requests or other reasons you might have been in contact with the business or person who made the inquiry

4. Write a letter to the credit bureau whose reports show the inaccuracies you circled. State that you're contesting an "unauthorized credit inquiry." Send copies of the letter to the three main credit bureaus. Also send a copy to the business or person that submitted the inquiry.

Tips & Warnings

• Credit bureaus have their own procedures for contesting fraudulent inquiries, so follow each one's steps.

• Submit copies of any proof you may have that backs up your claim; getting inquiries removed is not always easy or ever guaranteed.

• Contesting an inquiry can take a month or more to be resolved, so be patient.

• After refuting the inquiry, order more copies of your credit reports. You may still be eligible for a free credit report if the purpose is for monitoring a change, such as getting fraudulent inquiries erased.

• Just as you should contest a fraudulent inquiry in your credit report, you should also report to the bureaus any unauthorized use of your credit cards or fraudulent activity you suspect has occurred with your bank or other financial accounts.

References

• AnnualCreditReport.com: Frequently Asked Questions