Why does my credit report say I'm deceased when I'm obviously alive and how did this happen?

Question

I pulled my credit report yesterday and almost had a heart attack when I saw "DECEASED" next to my name on my Experian report. I'm 43 years old, healthy, and very much alive. I have no idea how this happened. I haven't had any identity theft that I know of, nobody in my family has the same name as me, and I've been actively using my credit cards and paying my bills on time every month. Last week I even got approved for a small personal loan, so how can I be dead on Experian but alive enough to get credit? I'm scared to apply for anything else now in case this has spread to the other bureaus. Why does my credit report say I'm deceased and where did they even get this information from? Could someone have reported me as dead by mistake? I need to understand how this error happened so I can prove it's wrong and make sure it never happens again.

Consumer Attorneys · Accepted Answer

Understanding why your credit report says you're deceased is important for correcting the error and preventing it from recurring. There are several common sources for deceased status errors, all of which represent failures in the credit reporting system that fall under FCRA accuracy requirements. The most frequent causes include: (1) Social Security Administration errors or mismatches where your SSN was incorrectly flagged in the Death Master File, often due to similar SSNs or administrative mistakes; (2) creditor reporting errors where a bank or lender accidentally submitted a deceased indicator when closing an account or processing an estate; (3) mixed file errors where your information was merged with someone who has a similar name or SSN and actually is deceased; (4) data furnisher mistakes where a collection agency, credit card company, or loan servicer checked the wrong box when updating your account status; and (5) errors during account closures where "account closed - consumer deceased" was selected instead of other closure reasons.

Steps to identify and correct the source:

Check all three bureaus: Pull reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to see if the error appears on all of them or just one
Contact the Social Security Administration: Verify that your SSN is not incorrectly listed in the Death Master File (1-800-772-1213)
Review recent account activity: Look for any recently closed accounts or estate-related correspondence that might have triggered the error
Dispute with the bureau: Send a certified letter to the reporting bureau with proof of life documents and demand correction
Contact us immediately: Send us your credit reports showing the deceased notation so we can investigate the source and force correction

The fact that you were recently approved for a loan while being marked deceased on Experian suggests the error may be isolated to that bureau or that the lender didn't pull from Experian. However, these errors can spread between bureaus through data sharing, so immediate action is critical. Regardless of how the error occurred, the credit bureau has a legal duty under the FCRA to maintain accurate information and to correct it promptly when notified. If they fail to investigate properly, continue reporting you as deceased, or if the error causes you financial harm, you may have grounds for legal action. We can help you not only identify the exact source of the error but also hold the responsible parties accountable and seek compensation for any damage this has caused. Contact us today for a free consultation — we'll investigate how this happened and make sure it's corrected permanently.