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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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.