If you’ve discovered accounts, debts, or personal details on your credit report that don’t belong to you, you may be the victim of a “mixed file” — one of the most damaging and frustrating credit reporting errors that consumers face. This serious mistake can destroy your credit score, cost you loans, raise your interest rates, and even affect your ability to get a job or rent a home.
At Jaffer Law, we help people across the country clear their names and get compensation when credit bureaus confuse them with someone else. If someone else’s information is appearing on your report, you have rights — and we fight to enforce them.
What Is a Mixed File?
A mixed file occurs when a credit bureau merges your credit data with another person’s — often because of similar names, addresses, or Social Security numbers. This person might have bad credit, delinquent accounts, or even a criminal history — and now it looks like it belongs to you.
This mistake can cause:
- Denials of mortgages, car loans, or credit cards
- Sky-high interest rates from miscalculated risk
- Calls from debt collectors about someone else’s bills
- Loss of housing or employment opportunities
- Emotional distress, embarrassment, and frustration
This is not your fault. And it’s not just a paperwork issue — it’s a violation of federal law.
Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that gives you the right to an accurate credit report. When the credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion) merge your file with someone else’s, they are violating your rights.
Under the FCRA, you have the right to:
- A credit report that is accurate and specific to you
- A copy of your report if you’ve been denied credit
- A proper and timely investigation of any dispute
- Damages when the credit bureau refuses to correct errors
At Jaffer Law, we’ve seen firsthand how devastating a mixed file can be — and we take immediate action to fix it and seek compensation for the harm caused.
How Jaffer Law Helps You
We don’t just fix the problem — we go after the credit bureau for violating your rights.
Here’s how we fight back:
1. We Review Your Credit Reports and Dispute Records
We begin with a free consultation, where we analyze your credit reports and any prior disputes or denial letters. We determine whether the credit bureau failed to follow its legal duties.
2. We File a Dispute — and Preserve Evidence
We help you file a formal dispute with each bureau, documenting the errors and demanding correction. This step is critical — it puts the bureau on legal notice.
3. We Sue If They Don’t Fix It
If the credit bureau fails to correct your report, we file a lawsuit in federal court. These companies are required to conduct reasonable investigations. If they don’t, they can be held legally and financially accountable.
4. You Pay Nothing Unless We Win
All our FCRA cases are taken on a contingency basis — meaning you don’t owe us anything unless we win compensation for you. And under the law, we seek to make the credit bureaus pay our fees and your court costs.
What Damages Can You Recover?
If your report has been mixed with someone else’s, and it caused you harm, you may be entitled to:
- Actual damages for lost credit, higher interest rates, emotional distress, or job denial
- Statutory damages of up to $1,000 per violation
- Punitive damages for reckless or willful behavior
- Attorney’s fees and costs
These errors can linger for years if not addressed properly — and the longer they go uncorrected, the more damage they can cause. That’s why it’s critical to take action now.
We Serve Clients Nationwide
Jaffer Law is a national consumer protection law firm focused exclusively on credit and background reporting errors. Whether you live in California, Texas, Florida, New York, or anywhere in the U.S., we’re ready to fight for you.
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Jaffer Law — When Credit Bureaus Mix You Up, We Set the Record Straight.