The Bureaus on Your Credit Report? Fight Back and Win

What is The Bureaus? Why are they calling you or listed on your credit report? Are you being scammed, and what steps should you take to deal with this company and make sure they’re no longer impacting you financially? These are all questions you may have, and before you do anything else, you should be aware of your rights when it comes to debt collection and your credit report.

What Company Is The Bureaus?

The Bureaus is a third-party debt collector. Third-party means The Bureaus isn’t the original company you had an account with or got credit from. Instead, after a period of non-payment, an original creditor might contact The Bureaus to collect debts on their behalf, which is why it’s known as a third party.

The Bureaus is based in Illinois, and it was founded in 1928.

Who Does The Bureaus Collect For?

The Bureaus works in all industries. They don’t focus on collecting for a specific type of business or in a certain industry.

Why Is The Bureaus Calling Me?

If you’re getting calls from someone who is a representative of The Bureaus, it’s probably because there’s an account that’s been placed by an original creditor with this company. It could also be a mistake, however, so it’s important that before you agree to pay anything or take any other action, you speak to a consumer protection attorney.

Is The Bureaus a Scam?

The Bureaus isn’t a scam—they’re a legitimate debt collector and have a long business history.

While the company itself is legit, they have numerous negative reviews from consumers against them. These reviews focus on certain things like:

• Consumers feel that the company’s representatives are rude or threatening when contacting them.
• Some people say they’re unable to contact anyone with the company, and they’re non-responsive. 
• There are issues where people say they don’t believe they owe a debt The Bureau is calling them about.

When it comes to third-party collectors, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) outlines what they can and can’t do in the process of trying to collect money from consumers. Under the FDCPA, a third-party debt collection agency can’t:

• Use harassment or intimidation.
• Lie or be deceptive to try and collect.
• Threaten legal action or other repercussions when they aren’t actually going to do it.
• Call too often.
• Contact someone at work once they’ve asked them not to.
• Continue to contact a consumer when they’re working with an attorney as their representative.
• Call before 8 a.m.
• Call after 9 p.m.

I Don’t Owe The Bureaus—What Should I Do?

In a study recently, consumers in the United States were asked to review their credit reports for errors. In doing so, more than one-third of people found at least one mistake. It’s important that every consumer, at least once a year, check their credit reports with all three bureaus—Transunion, Equifax, and Experian.

The reason checking your credit reports is so important is because of how common errors are.

The Bureaus might be contacting you because the original information they received from a creditor is wrong. For example, maybe you did have an account with a creditor The Bureaus is now collecting for, but it’s paid. The dates of your payments could be reported incorrectly, or you could have voluntarily closed an account.

Along with original information from a creditor being wrong, it’s also possible that the information reported to the credit bureaus about you isn’t right somewhere along the way. This could be due to mixed-up personal information. Maybe someone shares a similar name to yours, and their credit information is included on your report.

It’s also possible that old, outdated debts are listed on your credit report when they shouldn’t be, or you’re an identity theft victim.

Regardless, if you believe that The Bureaus is calling you and there’s a mistake, or you don’t owe the money, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can file a dispute. While you can file it on your own, in doing so, it’s highly likely the company won’t respond or won’t remove information. 

You could even make the situation worse by acknowledging the debt.

With all of that in mind, a consumer protection attorney can submit a dispute on your behalf if that’s the best course of action.

Once a dispute is submitted, the company is required to do a thorough investigation and complete it within 30 days. At the end of the investigation, the company should report its findings and update or remove wrong information.

Your Rights Under the FCRA

As well as the right to dispute anything that’s inaccurate, consumers have other rights under the FCRA. The FCRA is a broad consumer protection law meant to ensure accuracy, fairness, and transparency regarding your personal financial and credit information.

For example, because of the FCRA:

• Credit bureaus are required to provide you with a copy of your credit report if you ask.
• You’re entitled to a free credit report every year.
• Your credit information is limited as far as who can access it.
• If an employer is going to check your credit, they have to get your written permission first.
• If a dispute is submitted about information and the investigation doesn’t resolve the situation, you can request credit bureaus to add a note to your credit report that explains it in more detail.
• Negative information typically has to be taken off your credit report after seven years.
• If you think you’re an identity theft victim, you can add a fraud alert to your credit file for free for a year. 

Then, when there’s a fraud alert, creditors or potential lenders have to take certain steps to verify your identity before any credit is given in your name.

• If you ask for it, you have to receive your credit score from credit bureaus, but you might have to pay a fee.
• If you’re denied credit, the lender has to tell you what information that decision was based on from your credit file.

Get Help with The Bureaus Today

You can’t afford to deal with constant phone calls from a debt collector, nor do you want your finances to continue to be affected. Fair Credit can help. We can review your case for free and, if best, submit a dispute on your behalf to The Bureaus.