FCRA Lawyer Arizona - Consumer Attorneys

The Fair Credit Reporting Act exists to protect the consumer rights of Americans from Arizona to Florida to New York to California. Many individuals, however, are unaware that they can seek legal counsel when credit-reporting agencies and others violate the rules and regulations of the FCRA – enter Consumer Attorneys!

Sensitive information regarding consumers is collected and used, countless times, every single day.  Some of the most common examples would include employers, lenders, or landlords who would request background-check information regarding a prospective employee, borrower, or tenant. Credit-reporting bureaus, consumer-reporting agencies, public records, and background-check firms are utilized to glean a person's credit history, criminal record, driving record, employment, licenses, and other vital insights.

The fact remains, however, that no information provider is infallible. Even well-known credit-reporting agencies have been taken to court due to violating the FCRA.  The FCRA protects consumers from dishonest or lax credit-reporting or consumer-reporting agencies. False, omitted, or misleading information has caused residents of Arizona to be fired, rejected for job positions or promotions, denied car or home loans, or bypassed for tenancy opportunities.

The FCRA allows individuals to pursue financial compensation when its guidelines are violated.  When adverse information, older than 7 years, is listed on a consumer report and it is not correctly remedied, it becomes an FCRA violation. When consumers' disputes are not properly addressed within 30 days, it becomes an FCRA violation. When a background check is performed on a prospective employee, without consent, it becomes an FCRA violation – the list continues. 

The FCRA – Your Clarity in a Sea of Confusion

Though the following list does not cover every possible scenario, here are just a few ways your credit reports and consumer reports can become tainted:

Merged Files – Similar or identical names within a family or outside a family can present real problems when files become merged.  One's credit history can be included in a credit report belonging to a different person with an identical or almost-identical name.  Interestingly, as many as 35% of merged files involve family members.

Identity Theft – Identity theft is a monumental problem in Arizona and other states, and there are no counteracting strategies that are 100% effective.  If a thief were to steal your personal information, it would be your credit cards and bank accounts that would be used to make unlawful cash advances, purchases, or secure loans!

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America.  According to the recent Identity Fraud Study by Javelin Strategy & Research, identity theft generated $16.9 billion in losses in 2019, in the US.  Also, during 2020, 47% of surveyed US consumers experienced identity theft; 37% experienced application fraud, and 38% experienced unauthorized access to existing accounts.

Have you analyzed your credit reports lately?  If identity theft is suspected:

• File a police report – some lenders, creditors, and debt collectors may require this
• Fill out an identity-theft affidavit from the Federal Trade Commission at: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0094-identity-theft-affidavit.pdf – this would need to be submitted to all, involved, creditors.  Also, their number is 1-877-438-4338.
• Notify the CRAs which can generate a 'credit freeze' that would prevent anyone – including you – from opening up a new line of credit in your name.  Transaction alerts with credit card issuers can be established, also, to provide additional security.

Consumer Attorneys is ready to put you in touch with an Arizona FCRA lawyer team, near you, who is highly-skilled with addressing identity theft.

Unauthorized Access – The FCRA strictly limits who has a legitimate reason to view your credit report.  Legitimate searches are conducted by loan officers, potential landlords, employers, and others who have your permission.

If your credit reports, however, were accessed without your approval, you may notice accounts you never opened.  Any type of unauthorized access should be viewed as potential identity theft!

Inaccurate Public Records – Many times, CRAs utilize public records to harvest consumer information.  Public records, however, are subjected to human error which contributes to serious problems.  A bankruptcy, for example, that was discharged, may not be reported, as such.  Then, there are inaccurate descriptions of real-estate properties.  A simple clerical error indicating the wrong square-footage of a home can lead to complications with lenders.  These two examples only scratch the surface regarding public records that can be riddled with mistakes.

Stale Debt – Some debts are old enough to be considered 'stale'.  Usually, trade lines (credit accounts reported to credit bureaus) should drop off one's credit report within 7 or 7 ½ years after the initial delinquency.  If any delinquent debt is still on your credit report that shouldn't be there, an Arizona FCRA attorney can address the hurdles that are keeping the delinquent debt from being removed.

Re-aged Debt – Shady collection agencies may take it upon themselves to alter the last payment date of a debtor's account, in hopes of altering the statute of limitations.  The statute of limitations period starts on the date of the first non-payment or the date of the last activity.

A collection agency has no legal right to change the 'Date of First Delinquency'.  If this has occurred, it is a gross violation of federal law and is a suable offense.  You would have the right to pursue a cause-of-action, as outlined by the FCRA and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Arizona, We Have Your Back!

Legal representation is vital to ensure your rights are being protected under the FCRA.  Our Arizona clients want real results that combine justice with maximized financial compensations, when applicable.  Our FCRA lawyer teams will fight for your rights and for every penny in compensation you are, legally, entitled to receive!

We encourage you to visit www.annualcreditreport.com to secure your free credit reports.  If any information looks questionable, give us a call at +1 877-615-1725.  Your situation will be assessed as part of a free case review. You can, also, take advantage of a free credit report analysis.

Our Expertise Rights the Wrongs!

As a leading national consumer-protection law firm, Consumer Attorneys offers Arizona more than 10 years of consumer-protection experience.  Our attorneys' efforts have secured more than $100 million in monetary recoveries for our clients.

Consumers' personal and business lives are negatively impacted every day – socially, emotionally, and financially – due to FCRA violations committed by others.  You don't have to become, nor remain, a victim of negligence or ineptitude!  Consumer Attorneys' powerhouse legal teams help consumers restore their names, reputations, and credit standings that may have been negatively impacted by one or more parties' actions.  Consumer Attorneys represents the interests of consumers, nationwide, in state and federal courts.

Consumer Attorneys is featured in a variety of prominent media outlets including 1) Super Lawyers 2) CR Consumer Reports 3) Bankrate 4) The New York Times 5) Daily News 6) Reuters and 7) Law Street.  Super Lawyers, for instance, has a long-standing reputation for excellence and includes only qualified lawyers who have been chosen from a select pool of candidates – candidates who have been peer-reviewed and independently researched.

It's important to know, also, that if your claim is accepted,  you will pay no out-of-pocket fees.  Your FCRA lawyer team would receive a fee only if they would win, on your behalf!

Contact Our Legal Team, Right Now!

If your credit reports' damaging errors have caused you harm or if those errors were not rectified after a proper dispute, call Consumer Attorneys, immediately!  Arizona residents can connect with our legal team, in various ways:

• Call +1 877-615-1725 for immediate assistance and a free case review
• Fill out our brief Contact Us form or initiate a LIVE CHAT share your concerns.

Reach out to us at info@consumerattorneys.com with any questions, at any time.