Fraud, Disputes, and Corrections
Terms that explain Canadian credit-report disputes, correction requests, and fraud-related file problems.
Fraud, Disputes, and Corrections explains what readers do after they spot inaccurate, incomplete, or suspicious information on a credit file. It covers the language of disputes, bureau review, mixed-file problems, and the correction process without promising guaranteed outcomes.
Readers usually come here after reviewing a consumer disclosure, spotting an unfamiliar account or inquiry, or trying to understand how a bureau correction request works in Canada.
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In this section
- Dispute
A dispute is a request to review and correct credit-file information that appears inaccurate or incomplete.
- Fraud Alert
A fraud alert is a warning placed on a credit file to encourage extra identity verification before new credit is granted.
- Identity Theft
Identity theft is the unauthorized use of a person's personal information to obtain credit or commit other fraud.
- Correction Request
A correction request is a focused request to review and fix specific credit-file information that appears wrong or incomplete.
- Identity Verification
Identity verification is the process of confirming that the person requesting or using credit is who they claim to be.
- Supporting Documents for a Dispute
Supporting documents for a dispute are the records that help explain why a reported credit-file item should be reviewed or corrected.
- Mixed Credit File
A mixed credit file is a bureau file that contains information that belongs partly to another person.
- Unauthorized Inquiry
An unauthorized inquiry is a credit-file check that the consumer does not recognize or did not permit.
- Unauthorized Account
An unauthorized account is a reported credit account that the consumer did not open or agree to.
- Unauthorized Charge
An unauthorized charge is a card transaction the consumer did not approve or make.
- Account Takeover
Account takeover is a situation where another person gains control of an existing credit account without the consumer's permission.
- Bureau Investigation
A bureau investigation is the review process a credit bureau uses after a consumer challenges reported file information.