When both the original creditor and a debt buyer — or multiple collectors — report the same underlying debt, your total reported debt appears far larger than it is. This is inaccurate reporting under the FCRA and gives you the right to dispute and, if ignored, to sue.
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When a creditor sells a debt to a collection agency, both parties sometimes continue reporting the same account — the original creditor shows a charged-off balance while the collector shows an open collection. To a lender reading your credit report, it looks like two separate debts.
The problem compounds when debts are sold multiple times. Each subsequent collector may add their own tradeline without removing the previous one, resulting in three or four entries for a single account. Your total reported debt could be inflated by thousands of dollars that don't reflect your actual obligations.
The FCRA requires that each item on your credit report be accurate and not misleading. Multiple entries for the same debt are misleading by definition. After a dispute, bureaus and furnishers are obligated to investigate and correct these duplicates.
The charge-off from the original lender and the collection from the buyer appear as two separate tradelines.
A debt that was sold more than once has entries from two or more collection agencies all showing as active.
Your total reported debt is significantly higher than what you actually owe because of duplicate entries.
The duplicate entries show different open or delinquency dates, extending how long the negative item stays on your report.
You paid one collector but the original creditor's entry — or another collector's entry — is still showing as active.
You disputed the duplicate entries with documentation and the bureau refused to consolidate or remove them.
From your first submission to resolution — here is what to expect.
Tell us what happened. We review your discharge paperwork and credit reports at no cost.
We send a strategically crafted dispute letter to preserve your legal rights and set up litigation if needed.
If the bureau or furnisher fails to correct the error, we file your FCRA claim in federal court.
FCRA cases are handled on contingency. Attorneys’ fees are typically paid by the defendant.
Tell us what happened. We review every submission within one business day.
Tell us what happened. We respond within one business day.
🔒 Confidential · No obligation · Attorney Advertising — Haseeb Legal PLLC
We received your submission and will review it within one business day.
A licensed attorney from Haseeb Legal PLLC will be in touch shortly.