Fraud, Disputes, and Corrections

Fraud, Disputes, and Corrections explains what readers do after they spot inaccurate, incomplete, or suspicious information on a credit file. It covers the language of disputes, bureau review, mixed-file problems, and the correction process without promising guaranteed outcomes.

Readers usually come here after reviewing a consumer disclosure, spotting an unfamiliar account or inquiry, or trying to understand how a bureau correction request works in Canada.

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• Dispute
• Correction Request
• Bureau Investigation
• Fraud Alert
• Identity Theft
• Mixed Credit File
• Unauthorized Inquiry
• Unauthorized Account
• Unauthorized Charge
• Account Takeover
• Identity Verification
• Proof of Identity
• Proof of Address
• Supporting Documents for a Dispute
• Furnisher
• Consumer Disclosure
• Equifax Canada
• TransUnion Canada

In this section

• Dispute
  A dispute is a request to review and correct credit-file information that appears inaccurate or incomplete.
• Fraud Alert
  A fraud alert is a warning placed on a credit file to encourage extra identity verification before new credit is granted.
• Identity Theft
  Identity theft is the unauthorized use of a person's personal information to obtain credit or commit other fraud.
• Correction Request
  A correction request is a focused request to review and fix specific credit-file information that appears wrong or incomplete.
• Identity Verification
  Proof-of-identity step used before granting credit access or changing disputed file information.
• Proof of Identity
  Identity documents or details used to confirm that a dispute, file-access request, or fraud claim comes from the real consumer.
• Proof of Address
  Address evidence used to match a consumer to the correct credit file during disclosure, dispute, or fraud-review workflows.
• Supporting Documents for a Dispute
  Records that support a dispute by showing why a reported credit-file item should be reviewed or corrected.
• Mixed Credit File
  A mixed credit file is a bureau file that contains information that belongs partly to another person.
• Unauthorized Inquiry
  Credit-file inquiry the consumer did not authorize or cannot connect to a legitimate request.
• Unauthorized Account
  Reported credit account the consumer did not open, authorize, or recognize as theirs.
• Unauthorized Charge
  An unauthorized charge is a card transaction the consumer did not approve or make.
• Account Takeover
  Account takeover is a situation where another person gains control of an existing credit account without the consumer's permission.
• Bureau Investigation
  Credit-bureau review process triggered after a consumer disputes or challenges reported information.