If accounts or debts on your report came from identity theft, the FCRA gives you a strong, fast remedy. Under Section 605B (15 U.S.C. §1681c-2), once you give a bureau an Identity Theft Report plus proof of identity, it must block the fraudulent information — generally within 4 business days — and notify the furnisher to stop reporting and collecting on it.
Do this first: get an FTC Identity Theft Report
Report the theft at IdentityTheft.gov (the FTC site). It generates an FTC Identity Theft Report and a recovery plan — that report is what triggers your §605B rights. Filing a police report can help too. Also consider placing a fraud alert or freeze right away.
The letter (send to each bureau)
[Your full name]
[Your current address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date of birth] [Full SSN - bureau correspondence]
[Date]
[Equifax / Experian / TransUnion - address]
Re: Block of information resulting from identity theft - FCRA Section 605B
[Confirmation number, if any]
To whom it may concern:
I am a victim of identity theft. The following items on my credit report resulted
from identity theft and are NOT mine. Under FCRA Section 605B, please block them
from my file and notify the furnishers:
1. [Account/collection name and number as shown] - fraudulent
2. [item] - fraudulent
Enclosed:
- my FTC Identity Theft Report (from IdentityTheft.gov)
- [police report, if filed]
- proof of my identity (copy of government ID) and current address
- a statement that these items did not result from any transaction by me
Please block this information within the time required by Section 605B, confirm
the block in writing, and send me an updated report.
Sincerely,
[Your signature]
[Your printed name]
How to send it
Send certified mail with the Identity Theft Report and ID to each bureau. You can also send a copy to the furnisher demanding they stop reporting the fraudulent account. Keep everything; identity-theft recovery can take several rounds.
Notes. §605B is powerful and free — don’t pay anyone to do it. The bureau can decline a block only in narrow cases (e.g., the information is actually yours, or the request is based on a material misrepresentation), and must tell you if it does. Pair the block with a freeze to stop new fraud. General information, not legal advice.