What You Need to Know About Your Rights under the FCRA
Your credit report plays a vital role in your financial life. Lenders, landlords, employers, and insurance companies use it to evaluate your reliability. But what happens when your credit report contains incorrect or outdated information? This is where the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) steps in. FCRA violations on a credit report are more common than most people realize—and they can have severe consequences. At Jaffer Law, we help consumers across the country enforce their rights under the FCRA and seek justice for harmful reporting errors.
In this article, we break down:
- What counts as an FCRA violation
- Examples of common reporting errors
- Your rights under the FCRA
- What to do if you spot an error
- How Jaffer Law can help you take legal action
What Is the FCRA? The Fair Credit Reporting Act is a federal law designed to ensure the accuracy, fairness, and privacy of your credit information. It regulates how credit reporting agencies (CRAs) like Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion collect, maintain, and share your data. It also governs data furnishers—like banks, lenders, and collection agencies—who report your account information.
The FCRA gives you the right to:
- Access your credit report
- Dispute inaccurate information
- Have errors corrected within 30 days
- Receive notice when adverse actions are taken based on your credit
- Sue CRAs or furnishers for willful or negligent violations
Examples of FCRA Violations on a Credit Report Violations occur when CRAs or furnishers fail to follow the rules outlined in the FCRA. Some of the most common violations include:
- Reporting inaccurate personal information: Wrong name, address, date of birth, or Social Security number.
- Outdated negative information: Reporting bankruptcies older than 10 years, or collections older than 7 years.
- Mixed files: Your credit data is combined with someone else’s due to similar names or SSNs.
- Duplicate accounts: Listing the same debt multiple times.
- Failure to investigate disputes: Not responding to your credit dispute within the required 30-day window.
- Reinserting previously deleted data without notice: CRAs must notify you if deleted data is reinserted.
- Listing a person as deceased: One of the most damaging and shocking errors, which can shut down your access to credit.
How Credit Report Errors Can Harm You FCRA violations aren’t just technicalities—they can seriously impact your life. Consequences of inaccurate credit reporting may include:
- Loan denials or higher interest rates
- Rejection for housing or apartment rentals
- Missed job opportunities (especially in finance or security-sensitive roles)
- Denied insurance or increased premiums
- Emotional distress and anxiety
Steps to Take If You Spot an Error
- Request Your Credit Reports Visit AnnualCreditReport.com to get a free copy from each major bureau. During periods of high dispute activity, such as identity theft or fraud, check your reports more frequently.
- Identify and Document the Error Mark the inaccurate entry and gather evidence. This could include bank statements, emails, payment confirmations, or identity theft reports.
- Send a Written Dispute File a dispute with the CRA and the furnisher. Always send disputes via certified mail with return receipt. Include:
- Your personal information
- Description of the error
- Evidence supporting your claim
- Request for deletion or correction
- Wait for a Response CRAs have 30 days to investigate your dispute. If they find your dispute valid, they must correct or delete the information and notify any parties that received the inaccurate report.
- Contact Jaffer Law If the Error Remains If the bureau fails to correct the issue, or investigates inadequately, you may have a legal claim under the FCRA. That’s where our experienced team steps in.
How Jaffer Law Can Help You We know how frustrating and intimidating it can be to go up against the credit bureaus. At Jaffer Law, we take on these fights for you.
Our team will:
- Review your credit report and documentation
- Draft strategic dispute letters
- Monitor bureau responses
- File a federal lawsuit if your rights are violated
- Pursue compensation for damages including emotional distress
Why Choose Jaffer Law?
- Focused Experience: FCRA and consumer rights law is all we do.
- Nationwide Coverage: We represent clients in every state.
- Contingency Fees: You pay nothing unless we win your case.
- Proven Success: Our clients have recovered compensation for credit denials, wrongful background checks, and more.
Possible Compensation Under the FCRA If your case goes to court, you may be eligible for:
- Statutory damages of up to $1,000 per violation
- Actual damages such as denied loans, lost job income, and emotional suffering
- Punitive damages for willful misconduct
- Attorney’s fees and costs
Don’t Let a Bad Report Define Your Future Errors on your credit report can make life harder than it needs to be. But you have rights, and you don’t have to face the credit bureaus alone.
Jaffer Law is here to help you fix your report and hold them accountable.
Take back control of your financial reputation. Let us fight for you.