Federal law (FCRA, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.) gives you tools the bureaus do NOT advertise. The bureau has 30 days to investigate; the furnisher has its own duty after the bureau notifies them. Both ignored you? Federal court gives you actual + punitive + attorney fees.
Pull all three reports first
Free at annualcreditreport.com (the only government-mandated free site). Errors often appear on only one or two of the bureaus — disputing with all three when only Experian has the error wastes effort and may confuse the timeline.
Document the error precisely
Tradeline name, account number last 4, reported balance, reported status (current / 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 / charge-off / collection), date opened, date last reported. Print or screenshot every disputed page. Vague disputes get auto-rejected as "frivolous".
Send the CRA dispute
Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, the bureau has 30 days from receipt to investigate. Send certified mail with return receipt — the green card is your proof of receipt. Online disputes work but limit your rights for some claims; mail is the safer path if you suspect litigation.
If the bureau "verifies" without correcting, dispute the furnisher
Once the CRA notifies the furnisher (the bank / lender / collector), the furnisher has its own duty under § 1681s-2(b) to investigate. Failure to comply gives YOU a private right of action — even if the bureau insists the data is correct.
If it is identity theft, file the FTC affidavit
Under § 1681c-2, an FTC identity-theft affidavit (Form 14039) forces the CRA to BLOCK the fraudulent tradeline within 4 business days. Far stronger than a regular dispute. Requires a police or FTC report.
Both ignored you? File federal
Federal court complaint under §§ 1681n (willful) or 1681o (negligent). Statutory damages $100-$1,000 per willful violation, plus actual damages, punitive damages, and mandatory attorney fees if you prevail. The fee-shift means you can find counsel on contingency.
Ask Counsel anything along the way
Free Q&A. Counsel pulls FCRA citations from the statute itself, never paraphrasing from memory. Best for: timeline questions ("did the 30 days start when I mailed it or when they received it"), willful-vs-negligent strategy, and damages calculation.
SynthCounsel is a document preparation tool, not a law firm. No attorney-client relationship is created.