Question:
Dear Steve,
My husband filled out several car loans applications without my knowledge and put me in as co-applicant, now I have 8 hard inquiries on my report and can’t get them off
How do I get them off, equifax took them off but TransUnion won’t.
Gail
Answer:
Dear Gail,
The issue here has less to do with the credit bureau. If they voluntarily elect to remove the inquiry, they are not required to.
The reality here is the inquiry is authentic but fraudulent. Technically you are a victim of identity theft by your husband. Actually a large amount of identity theft is caused by familiar persons.
Here is what TransUnion says about such fraudulent items, “Now it’s time to reach out to the major credit bureaus. TransUnion has a special phone number for fraud victims — 800-680-7289 — that you can call to place a fraud alert on your credit report. An initial alert lasts for 90 days and notifies all potential creditors that you do not authorize any new credit in your name. An extended alert lasts for seven years and entitles you to two free copies of your credit report in the first 12 months. Creditors are obligated to take extra precautions to verify your identity if anyone — including you — attempts to open new accounts in your name during that time.”
Once you do this it will be up to TransUnion to decide if they elect to remove the items since you still have not have addressed the actual fraudulent entries. Would you be willing to go as far as filing a police report against your husband for the identity theft?
You can visit IdentityTheft.gov for specific steps to deal with being a victim of identity theft and mitigating the results.
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Identity theft question asked.