New help for credit report mistakes/fraud | Business

With credit report issues, the buck no longer stops at the credit bureaus, the cops...or me.

Starting Oct. 22, consumers can get direct assistance on credit report mistakes or fraud from the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com, said the CFPB will assist consumers with credit report inaccuracies, abuse, investigations, fraud alerts and rejections of their credit score requests.

"It will be a great help for consumers to be able to file complaints to the CFPB and have a federal agency on their side," said Hardekopf. "Credit scores affect so many areas of our financial lives, it is essential for the report to be correct."

Hardekopf recommended for smooth sailing, file your complaint first with the credit bureau whose report reflects the mistake or fraud. Then, if necessary, bump it up to the CFPB.

If you must escalate the complaint to the CFPB, Hardekopf said make sure your complaint includes the original dispute case number from the credit reporting agency/bureau.