Mistakenly Reported as Deceased? Free Consultation with Credit Reporting Attorney

Answer: No, we can do everything virtually by phone and by email.

Do I need to have a scanner or anything like that in my house?

No, we can handle any administrative issues.

Will you draft the dispute letters to the credit bureaus? Yes, working with you, we will draft the perfect dispute.

What happens after we settle the case? We will agree on the language in a settlement agreement. About 30 days after that, we receive the funds from the settling credit bureau. We then FedEx your portion of the proceeds.

What happens if they fix it after the first dispute? Is there still a case? Yes, we think there's still a case even if they correct the errors after your very first dispute.

Will I have to go to trial and appear in front of a judge and jury? No, most clients never go to court. If you do, it will be by your own choice.

Will the credit reporting agencies or creditors retaliate against me for filing a suit? No, that's illegal.

Do you have experience handling this type of litigation? I have litigated hundreds of cases involving deceased individuals. To my knowledge, I've litigated more deceased cases than any practicing attorney in the nation.

How long does it take to get a case settled? Generally, within the first few months, we have a settlement or are close to one. However, some cases take longer.

Do each of the credit reporting agencies settle at the same time? No, each bureau acts on its own timeline.

Can I sue the Social Security Administration if they put me on the death master file? Yes and no. Depending on where in the country you are, there may or may not be federal liability. However, you can always sue the credit bureaus for maintaining incorrect records.

Do I need to visit the SSA office to get this fixed? Yes, if the Social Security Administration is the reason why you are being incorrectly published as deceased, then yes, you will need to set up an appointment.

Do your former clients tell you that SSA gave them pushback? No. I've only once seen the SSA not immediately correct the issue.

Are they supposed to give me a letter or just tell me that it's fixed? They should provide you with a letter stating that they erroneously marked you as deceased, but have since corrected the issue.

What if I receive the letter, but no one is removing it from my report? We can assist with that through either the dispute, litigation, and/or pre-suit negotiations.

What if it's my lender, like Capital One, reporting me as deceased? Can I sue them? Yes, however, suing a business or a creditor is different from suing the credit reporting agencies. For the business, they are allowed to make the original mistake as long as they correct it within the first dispute through the CRAS.

Is this going to be a lot of paperwork for me? Yes and no. There is a lot of paperwork, but we handle the vast majority of it on your behalf. This is very easy.

Am I going to need to invest a lot of time in this case? No, because we've litigated so many of these cases that we're very efficient with your time and mine.

Are you the best deceased credit reporting attorney in the nation? My mom would say I am the best in the nation. However, I disagree. LOL.

I heard that you wrote a book about deceased litigation. Can I get a free copy? Yes, all clients can get a free copy of the book as soon as it's published.

How quickly have past clients gotten corrected? Most of our consumers are able to get the errors off their reports within the first month. In circumstances where it takes longer than 30 days, it generally means that the bureaus have committed additional violations of the FCRA, which increase your case value. If you have a deadline approaching, let me know immediately, as I can choose an alternative method of resolution.

How do I Find Out if I'm Being Incorrectly Deceased? You may get an email or text alerts from monitoring services, denied for loans, scores going to zero despite having open loans, File Comment Section - Finding it in the general comment section of the trade line, in the comment section of individual trade line, ECOA Codes in the responsibility section of individual tradelines, Where it actually states that documentation about your passing was received on a particular date

Many wrongly think they are a victim of fraud, but it's actually being marked as a deceased person. The consequences affect every aspect of your financial life.

After you fix being mistakenly reported as deceased, will my credit score return to its previous level? In most cases, it will return exactly to its original state. There will be no impact. However, if you have an account like a credit card that closes due to this, that could be an issue. You'll need to get them to reinstate the account rather than opening new ones. If they open new accounts, they won't have the same credit history, so your credit scores won't be as high as they were.

Also, they could reduce your available limits. This would also impact your credit score in a negative way. You'll want to talk to them to see if they can return your credit limits back to where they originally were.

What do I need to do to initiate the dispute? Is there any required documentation to get this going? A copy of your driver's license is helpful. We typically do not include a copy of your Social Security card, if possible. You could include a copy of your passport, but we don't find that to be useful in most cases. If you have recently moved and your driver's license doesn't reflect your current address, a copy of your utility bill or an electric bill. Of course, we'll be looking at a copy of each of your  reports or disclosures from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and LexisNexis. Also, if you have any copies of denial letters or adverse action notices, which are the same thing. The dispute letter will also include details such as your full name, date of birth, address, and Social Security number.

Am I going to have an issue with the IRS because of me being mistakenly reported as deceased? In my experience, that depends on where this problem started. If the issue started with a credit reporting agencies, then no. If the issue started with one of your own credit card companies, lenders, or banks, then no. However, if the issue started with the Social Security Administration, then you will have some initial issues with the IRS.

Will issues of being marked as not alive incorrectly cause issues with me filing my taxes? Yes, it may cause issues filing your taxes. It will be helpful to keep the erroneous death letter that you got from the SSA. You may want to include that letter when you submit your taxes by mail instead of electronically.

This law is primarily enforced by you, not government agencies (Attorney Generals, the FTC, and the CFPB do almost nothing when you're being mistakenly reported as deceased).

What's my case actually worth? These cases, mistakenly reported as deceased, have a high case value. These are definitely the worst financial errors that exist. With most, you can still borrow money, just at a higher interest rate. Here, you are denied every time. You may receive a denial letter (or adverse action notice) indicating that the bureau has listed the applicant as deceased. That means your report shows this error because a furnisher (typically a lender) published bad information.

Much of what I know in this area is confidential, so I can't share it online. As you know, you are denied every time when you are mistakenly reported as deceased. You may get a denial letter (or adverse action notice) that the bureau shows the applicant was listed as dead. That means your report displays this status because a furnisher (typically a lender) has published false information. Many factors go into the value of the case. After speaking with you, I can tell you what I estimate your case's value to be. The consequences for individuals being erroneously listed as not alive can be devastating, affecting housing, employment, and basic financial access.

Can I fix the Deceased Notation myself instead of getting a credit reporting attorney? 

Even if you fix the issue with one credit bureau, it may remain with others, causing ongoing problems. Deceased credit errors don’t resolve easily; credit bureaus commonly share data, so unless you address all sources, the deceased issues can continue. 

Mistakenly Reported as Deceased by the Social Security Administration? The Social Security Administration, one of many government agencies, lists 6,000 people yearly on the Death Master File (DMF)without a death certificate. An indicator is put on your record, which financial institutions use. Being on the DMF by the Social Security Administration (being mistakenly reported as deceased) also increases your risk of identity theft, fraudulent lending products, the need for identity theft protection, monitoring, and a fraud alert on your files.

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Equifax Incorrectly Says I'm Dead on My Credit Report?

When Equifax shows a deceased indicator on your credit report due to false death information from ssa death records, death master files, or deceased notation errors, you're declared dead and declared deceased, which violates your rights and blocks credit access. To fix your credit file, you must dispute the death report across multiple credit report systems - including credit report databases, credit report files, credit report records, credit report entries, credit report data, and credit report documentation - while also verifying reports and credit reports to protect your identity and restore proper credit reports.

Mistakenly reported as dead by Experian? Experian is not allowed to wrongly publish incorrect information and ruin your financial history. They must follow the rules. Has Experian erroneously placed indicators on your report?

Mistakenly listed as dead by TransUnion?

Has LexisNexus Listed You as Dead?

Has Your Lending Company Declared Dead?