While it almost sounds humorous, if you’ve had the unfortunate experience of being mistakenly reported as dead, then you know that there’s nothing funny about it. In fact, when credit bureaus report living people as deceased, the financial and emotional consequences can be devastating.
Knowing how to remove a deceased indicator from your credit report is critical to getting back to good.
Why does my credit report say I’m dead when I’m not?
This is the essential question that everyone in this scenario asks…why did this mistake happen? The short answer is that the credit reporting industry is just one subset of the larger consumer data industry. Since the latter industry relies on the buying and selling of mass quantities of data and is heavily skewed toward the use of algorithms (as opposed to people), the industry is plagued by errors of all kinds, including false reports of a consumer’s death.
Generally, this results from one of four scenarios:
- Input error: These errors occur when someone is inputting information into a system or database. This might be at the level of your financial institutions, such as banks and lenders, the Social Security Administration (SSA), or a business you engage with regularly, such as a store where you hold an account. When dates, numbers, locations, and names get confused, omitted, and misspelled, you might be flagged as deceased even though you’re not.
When the SSA makes these mistakes, it means that your name and social security number are entered into the Death Master File (DMF), which is the federal government’s official record of your death. Once you make it into the DMF, the financial consequences snowball rapidly.
- Co-signer death: The death of a co-signer on any jointly held accounts can accidentally flag you as deceased as well.
- Mixed Files: “Mixed files” refers to a credit profile on a single individual that mistakenly contains data from others. When your data gets mixed with that of someone who is deceased, you get an erroneous indicator on your account.
- Identity Theft: Victims of identity theft and identity fraud experience many significant financial and emotional consequences from these crimes, including being mistakenly identified as deceased.
How to Dispute a False Deceased Indicator on Your Credit Report
Under federal and state law, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you have the right to dispute and correct any errors in your credit report, including being falsely marked as dead. Maximize your chances of a quick and complete recovery by formally disputing the false deceased indicator using these steps:
- Contact a consumer protection lawyer. Being flagged as deceased is considered to be such an egregious error under the law that you may have the right to file a lawsuit even if you don’t sustain significant damages. Contacting a consumer protection attorney to talk through your situation at the outset is a great way to protect yourself.
- Review your credit reports. Once you learn that you’ve been falsely identified as deceased on a credit report, it is very important that you complete a thorough review of your credit reports from each of the three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). Don’t just look for errors reporting you as deceased, look over every detail. Make notes of any incorrect dates, names, locations, and anything else.
You are entitled to access a free copy of each report once per week. Just be sure to only use the government-verified site for online requests. There are three ways to request a copy: online at annualcreditreport.com, by phone at 877-322-8228, or by mailing a request form, which can be printed at annualcreditreport.com.
- Dispute the errors with the Social Security Administration. If your name has mistakenly ended up in the Death Master File at the SSA, there is a separate dispute process. Even though you will dispute directly with the credit bureau(s) (see below), you need to dispute directly with the SSA as well.
SSA disputes must be done in person at your nearest local SSA office. You will need to bring originals (not copies) of your important documents, such as birth certificate, driver’s license, Social Security card, and other documents requested by the SSA (look on the SSA website to determine which documents will be presented). You’ll likely need to make an appointment in advance.
When the SSA clears up the mistake, you will be provided with a document confirming that you were reported deceased in error and that it has been corrected at the SSA.
- Dispute the errors with the credit bureau(s). To do this, you will:
- Write a letter to each credit bureau that is falsely reporting you as deceased. Explain that you discovered errors in your credit report and you are writing to formally dispute them and request corrections. Be very thorough and precise. Provide
- Send copies of your credit report, with each error clearly indicated and referenced in your letter.
- Provide any documentation supporting your position that the data reported is false. You should only send copies of your documents, not originals. Include a copy of the letter from the SSA if you have one. If you are sending the dispute letter prior to disputing with the SSA, note in your letter that you will be filing a formal dispute with the SSA and will forward any relevant correspondence as soon as you receive it.
- Send the letter and supporting documents to the dispute address provided by each credit bureau on its website. We strongly recommend doing this by certified mail rather than using an online submission platform. This is because using an online dispute submission platform often requires you to waive your right to bring a lawsuit. We advise against this. Plus, using certified mail keeps you in control of tracking the dates of receipt.
- Keep a copy of everything you send, and take detailed notes about any phone calls or other correspondence you have.
- The dispute may be just the beginning. Whether you’re already working with a lawyer from Consumer Attorneys or you finally feel ready to make the call, reach out to Consumer Lawyers for a free consultation. Helping consumers dispute credit reporting errors, including false deceased designations, is what we do. We know your rights under the law, how to enforce them, and how to get compensation for your damages.
Why You Need to Dispute Being Reported as Deceased
When companies and lenders believe you’re dead, your banking, lending, retirement, and store accounts are typically frozen or closed to prevent fraud. For instance, you might:
- lose access to credit accounts, such as credit cards, lines of credit, home equity, or other personal loans.
- lose access to pending opportunities, such as mortgage approvals, auto finance applications, and employment or educational opportunities.
- lose access to assets, including bank accounts, retirement accounts, etc.
- lose access to government benefits like social security, healthcare, and Medicaid.
- lose access to services.
Contact Us for a Free Consultation
If you’ve been mistakenly marked as dead on a credit report, Consumer Attorneys can help.
There are several ways to reach one of our lawyers: call (+1-877-615-1725), email ([email protected]), fill out the online intake form, or use our virtual chat option.
Our consultations are free, and we want to hear from you today!