Son's bad credit showing on DH's reports - I need a really fast fix...

[NikiM20]

DH is a JR and his grandfather had the same first and last name. When his grandfather died, a bill was put on FIL credit report. FIL got it off and it ended up on DH's. We were able to call the reporting agency and get it fixed. Good Luck!

 

[diesel]

When you do finally get his credit report cleared up make sure you check his report yearly after that (actually every one should check their credit report every year). My brother is a JR and his bad credit was always ending up on my fathers report. It would get cleared up then a few years later it would be back on his report.

 

[dawson5]

This happens to us, father in law has been gone for almost 12 yrs now and DH still gets stuff on his report, he is a Jr. I think everyone is entitled to one free credit report from each of the three reporting agencies a year. If you space them out every four months, you should be able to keep an eye on them throughout the year for problems and dispute it quickly.

 

[Sleepy]

That has happened to my brother, my husband, and an old boyfriend.

 

[Planogirl]

CRA's are supposed to go by the SSN, not JUST the name and address, so again, I wouldn't entirely blame your DS unless he is using your husband's SSN.

Many creditors do not provide a social security number with their information and they are not required to. It's unfortunate.

 

[bettymae1121]

I find this message board to be very helpful for all things credit. If you don't find any existing posts that fit your situation, feel free to post, they are very kind to newbie's!

http://www.debt-consolidation-credit-repair-service.com/forums/index.php

 

[ZPT1022]

His mail still comes here and he's selective about what he picks up. Often he won't even open the envelopes - and yes, there are legal papers sitting unopened right now in the two month old pile of his uncollected mail. He knows it, has been here several times, yet here they sit.

Go to the post office and change his address. If that doesn't work, I'd be tempted to start returning all his mail marked something along the lines of "Addressee does not reside at this address".

I'm sorry that you're having to deal with this. I've had similar problems due to my brother's social security number being only one digit off from mine. I guess when we were born you didn't have to have a # immediately and our parents wound up getting them all done at the same time. So, his is one digit off from mine and I've had the joy of having to have some of his issues removed from being under my name- the biggest PITA has been car insurance and an accident he had as a teen.

 

[PrincessBelle09]

I hate to say it, but the best recourse is to sue your son. He has made terrible choices and must face the consequences. It's what would happen to him if he had screwed with another person's credit and he certainly is not treating you or your husband like family. Talk to your lawyer.

 

[nunzia]

This kind of thing happened to us as well..not in this extreme and not in on purpose way, but the credit agencies had mingled and mangled my DH and DS who have the same first and last name but not middle name. They even had my DH listed as an 'alias' with my DS using his middle initial. Frankly, it was a nightmare to sort out...tons of calls, paperwork, etc. You'd think since the ssn's are different this would be easy. We DID get it sorted out so keep plugging away at all three agencies and after that check regulary. You'd think since those agencies hold such power they'd have to be accountable in some way.

 

[Bren's Mom]

If you don't have time to wait the 30 days for a regular dispute...and you have proof (or can get it quickly) that these aren't your dh's charged...ask the lender who ran the credit report (I'm assuming this is where you got it) to help you do a rapid rescore. I'm not sure how it works exactly, but I know that it can be done.

 

[PrincesCJM]

DH and I discovered errors on his credit report about this time last year. DH is a junior and neither him nor his father have been great about include SR or JR on paperwork, until just recently. My In-laws tax lien was showing up on DH's credit report - not great since we were looking to purchase a house. We disputed it and my MIL went to town hall to work to get things changed on their end. The tax lien came off quickly after being disputed but still a pain to do. DH hadn't lived at their house for several years but town hall said that they do not report by SSN. That blew my mind. DH and his father weren't even born the same months so the birth dates wouldn't even match.

Lesson learned. If DH and I have a son, he will not become the third.

 

[asoko]

I had luck removing all but one of my FIL accts from my husbands credit report just by requesting it online. DH is a III. Son is IV. (Husbands insisted) Luckily FIL is a responsible bill paying CPA/tax attorney.

But the creditors are not the brightest. When we moved and I disconnected our electricity, the utility company turned off my in laws electricity and ours. They have in laws acct under DH social security number. We tried explaining that he would have had to open the account when he was 3 to be the correct social security and account match. The utility company just attached his ss# to his dad's when DH got a new acct. They want to charge us to correct the issue. They do not understand the math that it is impossible for the account to belong to DH.

 

[Planogirl]

Yes, creditors themselves sometimes mingle accounts. Those are really fun to correct!

 

[dd50]

Sorry for your trouble. I've had some bad debt show up on my credit report for someone with the same name who I have never met, so I wouldn't be so quick to blame your son. It appears that the creditors are attaching the debt to anyone with the same name.

I disputed some of this two weeks ago online and it was taken off the next day. I suggest that you try doing that.

Exactly! My DH is a twin and his brothers always ends up on his report. Everyone should check their reports yearly at annualcreditreports.com before you need to purchase something. It is best to get on of them every quarter.

To OP, it will take time to get it resolved as the creditors don't want to fix it and neither does the credit reporting agencies no matter what kind of evidence you have that it isn't you.

 

[CathrynRose]

Naming kids the same as a parent can be a huge mess with credit.

I don't have any advice, but I wanted to toss out there, that this might not be your son's fault (as far as credit fraud is concerned)

 

[daisax]

His mail still comes here and he's selective about what he picks up. Often he won't even open the envelopes - and yes, there are legal papers sitting unopened right now in the two month old pile of his uncollected mail. He knows it, has been here several times, yet here they sit.

You absolutely MUST stop accepting his mail. If the companies don't receive their mail back indicating that he does not live there... how should they know he doesn't?

If you know where he's living, give them the information so that they can find him.

 

[BrettS]

Unfortunately I'm getting onto this thread a few days late, but hopefully this is still helpful.

The first thing you need to do is determine exactly how these items wound up on your husband's credit report. If it was truely a mistake (which does seem to happen frequently) and your son provided accurate info when he applied for the cards and loans and whatever, then you'll need to go to all three of the credit reporting agencies and work to get that information off of his report.

However, if this was not a mistake and your son provided your husband's SS number then you have a bit more of a problem. That was truely fraud and the good news is that it will probably be easier to get the fradulant accounts removed from his credit report, but the bad news is that the credit reporting agencies will only remove fradulant accounts if you have reported it to the police and you can provide them with a copy of the police report. Of course, reporting it to the police likely means that your son will be prosecuted for identity theft, but it's also the only way you can get fraudulant accounts removed from your husband's credit report. So you will need to decide if you want to take that path or not.

Unfortunately, neither of these options is likely to be terribly quick. You're probably looking at several months at best to get everything cleaned up. The first place to start is to get a copy of all three of your husband's credit reports. Once you have those in hand, figure out exactly which accounts are not your husbands so you know what you're up against.