Consumer protection laws when it comes to credit reporting are clearly written to place the burden of proof on the credit bureaus. Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion are expected to compile accurate information about consumers and their credit histories, and if a consumer disputes a mistake on their credit report, the credit bureaus are required to remove or correct it if the information on the report is inaccurate, unverifiable, or incomplete.
Unfortunately, this law has not always been properly enforced or taken seriously by the credit bureaus, and year after year, there are horror stories from across the country of credit report mistakes. Most recently, The Consumerist and NJ.com’s Bamboozled reported the story of Chaz Epps, a military veteran whose apartment application was denied when a background/credit report check came back with multiple felonies. The truth was that the only accurate item on Epps’ record was a traffic ticket. The felonies should have been listed for Epps’ brother who coincidentally has the same last name and birthdate, thus explaining the confusion.
Epps contacted Screening Reports, the company that conducted his background check, and he explained his situation, expecting that the problem would be cleared up immediately. He was first denied for the apartment back in March, and 8 months later, he is still trying to clear his name with Screening Reports. They have offered every excuse imaginable, claiming that the burden of proof falls on Epps and requesting documents from the police stating that he is not a felon. Screening Reports even refused to tell Epps where they received this erroneous criminal history so he could contact them directly.
Hopefully Bamboozled’s work and the exposure from The Consumerist will bring attention to Epps’ case and convince Screening Reports to take responsibility for their mistakes. Too often, however, people like Chaz Epps cannot correct these credit reporting mistakes on their own. They need an advocate like My Credit Specialist who knows the credit reporting laws and can fight for them. We want to be your advocate, and we will work quickly and effectively on your case! Contact My Credit Specialist at 1-866-565-6500 to learn more about what is on your credit report, and check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to learn how you can improve your credit health. Also, go to http://www.mycreditspecialist.com to find out if credit restoration is the right choice for you!
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