CHECKDISPUTE | FREE PRACTICE CHECKLIST
Credit Report Error or Identity Theft? How to Tell

1. List each suspect entry: name, account fragment, date opened, attached address.
2. Rule out the ordinary explanations: sold account, collector name, issuing bank, prescreen inquiry.
3. Contact the company on any unexplained entry and record what it confirms.
4. Decide the branch: misreported-but-yours routes to a dispute; not-yours routes to IdentityTheft.gov.
5. If theft: note the block's four requirements — ID proof, identity theft report, identified items, your statement.
6. If unsure: do not make the statement; gather the file disclosure and your own records first.
7. If theft confirmed: close affected accounts, contact your institutions' fraud departments, file the report.
8. Record every step's date — the four-business-day block clock runs from complete receipt.

Practice: https://checkdispute.com/learn/practice/article-24/
Full guide: https://checkdispute-guides.blogspot.com/2026/09/credit-report-error-or-identity-theft.html
Sources checked: 2026-09-20

General education, not personalized legal advice. No credit or dispute outcome is promised. Disputing errors directly is free.