Incorrect Information on Credit File - Benefiting me?

wheatley_93

Hi,

I have just accessed my credit file and noticed that there is an address I am linked to at which someone (not my name/dob/address) has a long history of always paying their credit on time, has a much larger amount of credit than me, and has barely used any of this credit balance.

My credit score is already 'poor' (just below 'fair'), and I am wondering - if I get this corrected, will this likely be worse for my credit score? I know it isn't ideal, but maybe I should just keep an eye on it and only dispute it if I notice that person has bad debt etc..

Thoughts?

[Deleted User]

No. Lenders will rate you just as badly as they currently do, but you will stop pulling the other poor sap down.

File a notice of dissociation.

wheatley_93

Thanks for the reply - would you mind explaining why?

I thought that access to a large amount of credit and a minimal amount of usage of that credit and a lengthy good repayment history were three factors which would improve a credit rating?

Candyapple

How have you got access to this other person's data such as their credit limits and repayment history just by being linked by address?

This should only happen if you both have a joint product e.g. mortgage, joint bank account.

Sounds like a massive data protection breach. Don't forget if you can see this person's history - they can see yours. You should contact whichever CRA it is and get them to amend it.

[Deleted User]

wheatley_93 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply - would you mind explaining why?

I thought that access to a large amount of credit and a minimal amount of usage of that credit and a lengthy good repayment history were three factors which would improve a credit rating?

But it's not your credit and you don't have access to it. You can't benefit from it.

tenchy

It sounds like you've noticed a linked address rather than a financial association. Both of these features of credit reports are troublesome from the data protection point of view. For the linked address - credit agencies keep these indefinitely and it could even be an address you've never lived at, but merely had stuff delivered to. Or, it could be an error - entirely plausible, given the way credit agencies operate. I'd be inclined to report it to the ICO if there's no reason for the address to be linked. In any event, it will not affect your credit score in any way.

[Deleted User]

You don!!!8217;t have a score or rating to improve upon.

However If the association shouldn!!!8217;t be there then I suggest you remove it ASAP

wheatley_93

Thanks for all of your replies.

I can confirm that it is listed under my linked addresses.

The information I can see is this person's full name, address, DOB, credit limit and current balance on a credit card they have, and their last payment amounts going back monthly to 2016.

As you have rightly said this is obviously a serious data protection issue. What's the best way for me to proceed here? This is with Equifax.

[Deleted User]

wheatley_93 wrote: »

As you have rightly said this is obviously a serious data protection issue. What's the best way for me to proceed here? This is with Equifax.

Contact..... Equifax?

Also check your reports with Experian and Callcredit to make sure they’re ok as well

wheatley_93

Thanks for that Gary haha, I have of course contacted Equifax.

I mean should I report this to some sort of regulator? Seems like I am just trusting a company who is sloppy with data to deal with a problem with data...

[Deleted User]

Just Equifax will be fine. They'll look at where the error has occurred.