Being wrongly declared dead is not just an error — it’s a crisis. If your credit report states you are “deceased,” it can instantly destroy your financial life. Loans are denied. Credit cards are closed. Mortgages stall. Even employment and housing opportunities vanish. If this has happened to you, Jaffer Law is here to help you clear your name and seek compensation for the damages.
This kind of mistake is more common than you might think — and you are not alone. Each year, thousands of living consumers are mistakenly marked as deceased by one or more of the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. If this has happened to you, it is not just a clerical error — it’s a violation of your rights under federal law.
How Does This Happen?
Most “deceased” notations are triggered when a credit bureau receives incorrect information from a lender, creditor, or data aggregator. Other times, the mistake arises from:
- A Social Security mismatch
- Mistaken identity with someone who recently passed away
- A co-signer or joint account holder’s death being wrongly linked to your profile
- A data entry or reporting error by a creditor
Once the “deceased” flag is placed on your credit file, your entire report is locked from new activity. That means:
- You are instantly denied new credit
- Existing accounts may be closed or frozen
- Your FICO score disappears
- Mortgage, auto, or rental applications are blocked
- Employment background checks may fail
This Is a Serious Violation of Your Rights
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), credit bureaus are required to maintain accurate and up-to-date information in your credit file. Falsely labeling someone as deceased is not only negligent — it’s damaging and often traumatic.
You have a right to:
- An accurate credit report
- Notification when negative action is taken against you due to your credit
- A proper and timely investigation of any dispute
- Legal remedies — including damages and attorney’s fees — when your rights are violated
How Jaffer Law Helps You Fight Back
At Jaffer Law, we specialize in fighting credit reporting errors — especially serious ones like false deceased notations. We’ve helped clients across the country restore their credit and recover significant compensation.
Here’s how we help:
1. We Investigate the Source of the Error
We gather the credit report(s) falsely listing you as deceased and identify which furnisher or bureau submitted the misinformation.
2. We File a Dispute — the Right Way
Many consumers try disputing on their own — and are ignored. We make sure your dispute is properly documented and legally framed to trigger the bureau’s FCRA obligations.
3. We File a Federal Lawsuit if They Don’t Fix It
If the credit bureau fails to correct the error promptly, we sue them in federal court. Our goal is not only to get the record fixed but to recover damages for the harm done to your life.
4. You Pay Nothing Unless We Win
We take these cases on a contingency basis. That means you don’t owe us anything unless we win compensation for you. And if we win, the law allows us to make the credit bureaus pay your legal fees.
What Compensation Could You Receive?
If you’ve been marked deceased and suffered harm, we may be able to recover:
- Actual damages: emotional distress, lost housing or employment, denied credit, out-of-pocket costs
- Statutory damages: up to $1,000 per violation
- Punitive damages: for reckless or willful misconduct
- Attorney’s fees and court costs
Many of our clients feel violated and humiliated by this type of error. You don’t have to suffer in silence — you can fight back and be compensated.
Serving Clients Nationwide
Jaffer Law is a national consumer protection firm. We handle FCRA and credit reporting cases in federal courts across the United States. Whether you’re in California, Texas, New York, Florida, or anywhere else — we can help.
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Jaffer Law. When Credit Reports Go Wrong, We Make It Right.