The FCRA 605C self-attestation form is a signed statement in which you declare you are a trafficking survivor, list the credit report items that resulted from that trafficking, and have the statement co-signed by an authorized entity. Once you mail the completed form, a copy of your ID, and your list of adverse items to each credit bureau, federal law requires the bureau to block those items within four business days and reach a final decision within 25. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau publishes a sample letter you can adapt, and you are free to write your own as long as it contains the required elements.
The Co-Signature Is Not Optional
A self-attestation written and signed by you alone does not satisfy 12 CFR 1022.142. Your signed statement must also carry the signature or certification of a representative from an authorized entity: a federal, state, or tribal government agency; a non-governmental organization or human trafficking task force authorized by one of those governments; or a court. In practice, that co-signer is often a caseworker at a government-funded victim services organization, a task force representative, or a government official.
Line up your co-signer before you finalize the document. Without that second signature, the bureau will treat the submission as incomplete.
What to Put in the Attestation
Your statement needs to do three things:
- State clearly that you are a victim of trafficking.
- Identify the specific adverse credit items that resulted from the trafficking.
- Provide signature blocks for both you and the authorized entity representative co-signing the document.
You do not have to describe what happened to you. The regulation forbids credit bureaus from demanding graphic details or questioning the facts in your trafficking documentation. A bureau’s review is limited to checking that you verified your identity, submitted a valid victim determination document, and identified the adverse items clearly enough to locate them on your file.
The CFPB’s sample letter, linked from its trafficking FAQ page, covers each required element. Using it is optional but reduces the risk of leaving something out.
Documents to Send With the Form
Proof of Identity
Each bureau requires at least one identity document. Acceptable options include a driver’s license, passport, Social Security card, birth certificate, government-issued ID card, or utility bill.
If you do not have any of these, the rule requires bureaus to tailor identity verification to trafficking survivors, including non-documentary methods such as confirmation questions over the phone. TransUnion, for instance, accepts phone-based identity verification at 833-982-4057.
Your List of Adverse Items
Pull your credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com and read each one line by line. The statute covers “any adverse item of information” tied to trafficking, which includes accounts opened in your name, collection entries, late payment notations, bankruptcies, and hard inquiries.
For every item you want blocked, write down the creditor name, the account number if you have it, and the type of entry. Vague language such as “all negative items” invites the bureau to come back for clarification, and every day spent on clarification eats into the 25-business-day window.
Where to Send It
You have to submit separately to each bureau where the adverse items appear. Every bureau must accept submissions by mail. The trafficking-specific addresses are:
- Equifax Information Services, LLC, P.O. Box 105874, Atlanta, GA 30348
- Experian, P.O. Box 1069, Allen, TX 75013
- TransUnion, P.O. Box 159, Woodlyn, PA 19094
TransUnion also offers online submission through the TransUnion Service Center at service.transunion.com, where you can upload documents and enter your adverse-items list after creating or logging into a free account. Not every bureau has a secure portal for this, so mail is the universal option.
Send the packet by USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt. Certified Mail runs $5.30, and Return Receipt adds $4.40 by mail or $2.82 electronic, putting each bureau at roughly $8 to $10. Keep a full copy of everything you send. If a bureau later says something was missing, your copies are your evidence.
What Happens After You Submit
Within four business days of receiving your packet, the bureau must place a temporary block on the adverse items you identified. Lenders, landlords, and employers pulling your report during that window will not see them.
The bureau then has up to 25 business days from receipt to make a final determination. If something is missing, it must notify you within five business days, and it can only ask for more information for three reasons: it cannot confirm your identity, you did not include a valid victim determination document, or it cannot identify the adverse items you listed. It cannot ask you to prove the trafficking occurred.
Once the decision is made, the bureau sends you written or electronic notice within five business days confirming the outcome, providing a free updated credit report, describing the procedures used, and giving you instructions to appeal along with a link to file a CFPB complaint. If the block is granted, the items are permanently suppressed going forward.
If the Bureau Denies or Flags Your Submission
A denial notice must tell you exactly why. The usual reasons are missing identity verification, an attestation without the required co-signature, or an adverse-items list too vague to act on. Each is fixable by resubmitting with the missing piece.
If a bureau ignores the four-business-day deadline, demands details of your trafficking experience, or otherwise disregards the rule, you can file a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. The CFPB enforces the trafficking block regulation and investigates complaints against credit reporting agencies.
Specialty Reporting Agencies Are Covered Too
Section 605C applies to all consumer reporting agencies, not just the three major bureaus. If a specialty agency such as ChexSystems, which tracks banking history, holds trafficking-related entries, you can send the same documentation there. ChexSystems accepts consumer correspondence at P.O. Box 583399, Minneapolis, MN 55458, and hosts a consumer portal at chexsystems.com.