Identity Theft and Credit Report Toolkit: Freezes, Disputes, Blocks, and Litigation

Summary. Letters and worksheets for freezing, disputing, blocking, documenting, and — if necessary — suing.

Tool 1 — Freeze and fraud alert request

To: [Bureau], Security Freeze Department Re: Request to place a security freeze — [name], SSN [xxx-xx-____], DOB [ ]

I request that a security freeze be placed on my credit file. I also request that an initial fraud alert be placed and that you notify the other nationwide consumer reporting agencies, as required.

[If applicable:] I enclose an identity theft report and request an extended fraud alert of seven years.

Enclosed: copy of government-issued identification; proof of current address (utility bill or bank statement); [identity theft report].

Please confirm the freeze in writing and provide any PIN required to lift it.

Freezes and lifts are free by federal law, and must be placed and lifted within short statutory deadlines.

Tool 2 — Block request (the most valuable letter here)

To: [Bureau], Consumer Relations Re: Request to block information resulting from identity theft — [name], SSN [xxx-xx-____], DOB [ ], report [ ]

Pursuant to the block provision of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, I request that you block the following information from my file. This information resulted from an alleged identity theft and does not relate to any transaction by me.

Furnisher as reported Account number as reported Date opened Amount Page of report

Enclosed:

Proof of my identity (government identification and proof of address);

A copy of my identity theft report [FTC identity theft affidavit and police report no. ___, [agency], dated ___];

This identification of the information to be blocked; and

My statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information does not relate to any transaction by me.

I understand the block must be effected within four business days of receipt and that you must promptly notify the furnisher. Please confirm in writing and send me a free updated copy of my file.

This is not a dispute. A dispute triggers an investigation that may end in "verified." A block is near-automatic on proper documentation.

Tool 3 — Six-part dispute letter

To: [Bureau], Consumer Dispute Department Re: Dispute of inaccurate information — [name], SSN [xxx-xx-____], DOB [ ], report [ ]

1. Identification. [Full name; current address; all addresses in the past two years; date of birth; SSN.] Enclosed: government identification and proof of address.

2. The item. Furnisher as reported: [ ]. Account number as reported: [ ]. Report page: [ ]. Field disputed: [balance / date of first delinquency / payment status / ownership].

3. What is wrong. [One sentence. "This account was never opened by me." "The date of first delinquency is reported as 3/2021; it was 3/2018." "This balance was discharged in bankruptcy on 11/2019."]

4. The correct information. [ ]

5. Evidence enclosed. [Payoff letter · cancelled check · settlement agreement · bankruptcy discharge order and schedule · account statements · correspondence · court records.] I request that all of this information be forwarded to the furnisher, as required.

6. Requests.

Delete or correct the item;

Send me a free copy of the revised report;

Send corrected reports to every person who received a report containing this item in the past six months, and in the past two years for employment purposes; and

Provide a description of the reinvestigation procedure, including the business contacted, its address, and its telephone number.

I understand the reinvestigation must generally be completed within 30 days.

Tool 4 — Notice to the furnisher (send in addition, never instead)

To: [Furnisher], Credit Reporting Department Re: Inaccurate reporting — [name], account [ ]

You are reporting the following information about me, which is inaccurate: [ ]. The correct information is: [ ]. Evidence is enclosed.

[If identity theft:] This account is the product of identity theft. Enclosed is my identity theft report and my statement that the account does not relate to any transaction by me. I request that you cease reporting this information and notify the consumer reporting agencies to delete it.

I am also disputing this item through the consumer reporting agencies. This letter is in addition to, not in place of, that dispute.

Why the parenthetical matters. The furnisher's investigation duty that a consumer can privately enforce is triggered by a dispute forwarded by an agency. Always dispute through the bureaus.

Tool 5 — Transaction records demand

To: [Business where the fraudulent account was opened] Re: Request for records of a transaction made in my name by an identity thief — [name], account [ ]

An identity thief opened an account and/or conducted transactions in my name with your company. I request copies of the application and business transaction records relating to that account, including:

The application and any supporting identification submitted;

The address, telephone number, and email used;

The complete transaction history;

Any recordings, signatures, or images retained; and

The IP address or device information, if collected.

Enclosed: proof of my identity; a copy of my identity theft report; and my sworn statement that I did not authorize the account.

Please also provide these records to [law enforcement agency], report number [ ].

Businesses resist this because almost nobody asks. The records show what the thief did and often where they were.

Tool 6 — Adverse action notice demand

To: [Landlord / employer / lender / insurer] Re: Request for adverse action notice and identification of the consumer reporting agency

On [date], you [denied my application / declined to rent to me / withdrew a conditional offer / increased my rate] based in whole or in part on information in a consumer report.

I request that you provide the adverse action notice required by law, including the name, address, and telephone number of the consumer reporting agency that furnished the report, a statement that the agency did not make the decision, and notice of my right to a free copy of the report and to dispute its accuracy.

[Employment context:] I further request a copy of the pre-adverse action notice, the consumer report, and the summary of rights that were required to be provided to me before the adverse action was taken.

Tool 7 — Reinvestigation procedure and reinsertion demands

Reinvestigation procedure. With respect to my dispute dated [ ], I request a description of the procedure used to determine the accuracy and completeness of the information, including the business contacted, its address, and its telephone number, and a statement of what information you forwarded to it.

Reinsertion. The item [furnisher, account] was deleted from my file following my dispute dated [ ] and has now reappeared. Reinsertion requires certification by the furnisher that the item is complete and accurate, and written notice to me within five business days of reinsertion. I received no such notice. Please provide (a) the furnisher's certification, (b) the date of reinsertion, and (c) a copy of the notice you contend was sent. If no certification and notice exist, delete the item immediately.

Tool 8 — Mixed file separation request

Re: Request for file separation — my file has been merged with that of another consumer

My credit file contains accounts and information belonging to a different individual. The following personal information in my file is not mine and should be deleted, as it is causing my file to be merged:

Field As reported Correct

Name variants

Addresses

Employers

Date of birth

SSN variants

The other consumer appears to be [name, if known], distinguishable from me by [middle name / suffix / date of birth / SSN].

Deleting the tradelines alone will not resolve this, because your matching procedures will re-merge the files. I request a file separation review and correction of the identifying information above. I will re-verify quarterly.

Tool 9 — Debt collector identity theft notice

To: [Collector] Re: Account [ ] — Written dispute, request for validation, and notice of identity theft

I dispute this debt in its entirety and request validation, including the name of the original creditor, the amount claimed, an itemization of principal, interest, and fees, and the date of first delinquency.

This debt is the product of identity theft. Enclosed is my identity theft report and my statement that the account does not relate to any transaction by me. I request that you cease collection, notify the creditor that the information may be fraudulent, and cease reporting this account to any consumer reporting agency.

Nothing in this letter is an acknowledgment of the debt or a promise to pay, and I waive no defense, including the statute of limitations.

Tool 10 — Dissemination list request (this is your standing)

Re: Request for disclosure of recipients of my consumer report

Please provide a list of every person or entity that procured a consumer report on me:

for employment purposes, in the past two years; and

for any other purpose, in the past one year,

including the name, and where applicable the address and telephone number, of each recipient, and the date of each request.

After the Supreme Court's standing decisions, dissemination is the injury. Request the list; it converts a procedural violation into a concrete harm.

Tool 11 — Dispute log

#	Date sent	Method / tracking	Bureau or furnisher	Item	Evidence attached	Response date	Outcome	Reappeared?

Tool 12 — Call log

Date	Time	Company	Representative / ID	Reference no.	What was said	Follow-up

Tool 13 — Harm documentation worksheet

Harm	Date	Documentation	Dollar value
Credit application denied		denial letter
Higher interest rate		rate quote before / after
Job offer withdrawn		offer letter and withdrawal
Housing denied		denial, application fee, alternative housing cost
Larger security deposit required		invoice
Insurance rate increased		declarations pages
Time spent		log of hours
Emotional distress		contemporaneous note, medical records if any

Write the contemporaneous note now, not later. A dated paragraph describing the day you learned is worth more than a recollection at a deposition.

Tool 14 — Goodwill adjustment and pay-for-delete letters

Goodwill adjustment (no legal right; granted with some regularity anyway)

I have held account [ ] since [year] and have made [N] on-time payments. A single late payment was reported in [month/year], caused by [brief, honest explanation]. I am requesting, as a goodwill gesture, that you request deletion of that late payment notation. I understand you are not obligated to do so and I appreciate your consideration.

Pay for delete (get it in writing BEFORE paying)

I am prepared to pay $[amount] to resolve account [ ] in full, on the express condition that you request deletion of the tradeline from all consumer reporting agencies to which you have reported it, rather than reporting it as paid or settled. Please confirm this agreement in writing before I remit payment. I will not send payment until I receive written confirmation.

Tool 15 — Pre-litigation demand outline

1. The parties and the reports. [Agency / furnisher]; reports dated [ ]. 2. The inaccuracy. [What was reported; what is true.] 3. The disputes. [Dates sent, method, evidence attached, proof of delivery.] 4. The responses. [What each said; whether the evidence was addressed.] 5. Dissemination. [Who received the report and when — from the disclosure list.] 6. Harm. [Denials, rate increases, lost employment or housing, out-of-pocket costs, distress.] 7. Willfulness. [Repetition after notice; reinsertion without certification or notice; "verified" responses in the face of conclusive documents.] 8. Demand. [Deletion; corrected reports to all recipients; compensation of $____; fees and costs.] 9. Deadline. Respond within [ ] days.

Note on fees. The statute shifts costs and reasonable attorney's fees to a prevailing consumer, which is why consumer lawyers take these on contingency.

Tool 16 — Regulator complaint outline

Company: [ ] Account: [ ] Dates: [ ] What happened, chronologically with dates: [ ] What I sent and when, with tracking: [ ] What they did: [ ] What I am asking for: [deletion / correction / corrected reports to recipients / written confirmation] Documents attached: [ ]

File with: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · the Federal Trade Commission · the state attorney general · the state financial regulator or the institution's prudential regulator.