Identity theft accounts and the section 605B block

If someone opened an account in your name, section 605B of the Fair Credit Reporting Act lets you ask each bureau to block that information from your report. This is a stronger tool than a regular dispute. It is only for genuine identity theft. Using it for an account that is yours is a false statement and can carry serious penalties.

What counts

Identity theft means someone used your personal information without your permission to open an account, take out a loan, or make charges. If you do not recognize an account and you think it is a mix-up with another person, see mixed credit file.

Steps in order

1. Report it. File a report at IdentityTheft.gov. It produces an identity theft report and a recovery plan.
2. Place a fraud alert or freeze. Both are free. A fraud alert tells lenders to check your identity before they open credit. A freeze blocks access to your report. Each bureau has its own steps.
3. Get your reports. Pull all three and mark the fraudulent accounts. See how to get your free credit reports.
4. Send a block request to each bureau. See what to include below.
5. Contact the creditors. Tell each company that opened a fraudulent account that it is the result of identity theft.
6. Track the dates. Save your confirmation or return receipt.

What the block request needs

Section 605B asks for four things from you:

• Proof of your identity.
• A copy of your identity theft report. The FTC’s report from IdentityTheft.gov is designed for this. Some bureaus or furnishers may also ask for a police report.
• Identification of the information you say is the result of identity theft.
• A statement that the information does not relate to any transaction you made.

What the bureau must do

Once it has what it needs, the bureau must block the information within four business days and tell the furnisher that the information may be the result of identity theft. A furnisher that has been notified must have procedures to prevent re-reporting it.

A bureau can decline or lift a block if it reasonably decides the request was made in error or on a material misrepresentation, or if you obtained goods, services, or money from the transaction. It must tell you if it does.

Different from a regular dispute

A regular dispute asks the bureau to investigate. A section 605B request asks it to block. The block comes first, on your documented report of identity theft, rather than after an investigation. See how to dispute a credit report error.

What to keep in mind

• Do not send originals. Send copies.
• Send each bureau its own request.
• Identity theft recovery can be slow. A dispute does not stop new fraud, so a freeze matters.

Sources

• Cornell LII: 15 U.S.C. 1681c-2 (block of information resulting from identity theft)
• IdentityTheft.gov
• CFPB: credit reports and scores
• FTC: disputing errors on your credit reports

Next steps

• FCRA section 605B: blocking identity theft information

  FCRA section 605B (15 U.S.C. 1681c-2) lets you ask bureaus to block identity theft information. What you must send and what the bureau must do. Plain English.

• Mixed credit file: someone else's accounts on your report

  A mixed credit file combines your information with another person's. How to spot one, what to gather, and how to dispute it with each credit bureau.

• Hard inquiries: when you can dispute one and when you can't

  You can dispute a hard inquiry you did not authorize. An inquiry you did authorize is accurate even if you did not get the credit. Soft vs hard, and the steps.