FFreedom Credit Counseling
The process

How to fight back, step by step

Credit repair is paperwork, deadlines and persistence. Here's the playbook.

  1. Get all three reports

    Go to AnnualCreditReport.com (the only federally authorized free source) and download reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Save them as PDFs and upload them to your Document Vault.

  2. Audit every line

    Look for accounts you don't recognize, wrong balances or limits, late payments you dispute, duplicate collections, wrong dates of first delinquency, items older than 7 years, unauthorized inquiries, and wrong names, addresses or employers. Add each one under Negative Items with exactly what's wrong.

  3. Round 1: dispute with the bureaus and validate with collectors

    Send specific disputes to each bureau reporting the item. For collections, send a debt validation demand to the collector, ideally within 30 days of its first notice. Be specific about each account; generic form letters are easier to dismiss.

  4. Mail everything certified, return receipt

    The green card or electronic return receipt proves the date it was received, which starts the legal clock. Enter the tracking number in your portal so we can count the days.

  5. Record every response

    Deleted? Corrected? "Verified"? No response? Upload the letter you received and record the result. Every outcome points to a next step.

  6. Round 2+: escalate

    If an item was "verified," demand the method of verification and dispute directly with the furnisher. If a bureau missed its deadline, demand deletion. If a collector kept collecting without validating, document the violation.

  7. Complaints and legal leverage

    File complaints with the CFPB and your state attorney general. When you have documented violations, a notice of intent to sue, or a consultation with a consumer protection attorney (many work on contingency because the laws award attorney fees), is the final escalation.

  8. Rebuild while you repair

    Keep utilization under 30% (under 10% is better), pay every account on time, and consider a secured card or credit-builder loan. Positive history is what raises your score over time.

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