Call Kurtis: $16,000 Mistake On My Credit Report

A Roseville mom found a $16,159 error on her credit report, and she called Kurtis when she couldn't get it fixed.

We've been telling you for years how important it is to check your credit report for mistakes. If you find one, you can dispute it. But if the bureaus don't fix it or blow you off, you have a new place to turn.

With her hands full with three daughters, Heather Rose says she's also got her hands full with a financial mistake.

"I've actually been denied credit cards because of ... what happened," said Rose.

A $16,159 court judgment showed up on Rose's credit report. The money was awarded to Chase Manhattan Bank in 2007.

"Wait a minute, I've never had this credit card. I think there's some identity theft going on here," said Rose.

So she filed a police report, but Roseville police concluded it wasn't identity theft, but mistaken identity. So she contacted Chase.

"They wouldn't even write a note that said, 'This is not the person.' They didn't want to touch it. So you know, 'We cannot answer your questions,'" said Rose.

She says she filed disputes with two of the three major credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion, but says she never heard back.

Those bureaus tell us they have no records of Rose filing disputes until after we got involved.

"The credit bureaus have never really been concerned about the accuracy in our credit reports," said credit expert Al Bingham.

Bingham says if the credit bureaus don't respond to your disputes, there's now a place to complain, the FTC's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

"The credit bureaus can be punished now, they can go in and fine them. And that's why the CFPB is really coming in and encouraging people to file complaints on this because they are the regulator now," said Bingham.

The complaint process is an easy online questionnaire. But Rose didn't need to go that far.

After CBS13 got involved, Chase sent her a letter, saying it had no judgment against her. She sent the letter to all three bureaus, and each one has now told her the judgment is off her report.

"It will be a great relief and a little breathing room," said Rose.