If your credit score just dropped, start by pulling your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com to see exactly what changed, then call the party responsible for the change. That means the credit bureau (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) if the entry is wrong, the creditor that reported it if the entry is accurate but you want it reconsidered, or the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov if you’re looking at accounts you never opened. Who to call about your credit score dropping depends entirely on what caused the drop, so the report comes first and the phone call comes second.
Pull Your Credit Reports Before You Call Anyone
You can’t fix a score drop you can’t explain. All three major bureaus provide free weekly reports through AnnualCreditReport.com, which is the only site authorized by federal law for these free reports.1Federal Trade Commission. Free Credit Reports Through 2026, Equifax also offers six additional free reports per year on top of the weekly access. Ignore lookalike sites that charge fees or push subscriptions.
Once you have the reports in front of you, look for the specific entry that shifted. The usual causes fall into two buckets. The first is errors: accounts you don’t recognize, payments marked late that you actually made on time, wrong balances, or duplicate entries. The second is accurate but unwelcome changes: a payment that slipped past 30 days, a credit card balance that climbed relative to the limit, a closed account that shortened your history, or a cluster of hard inquiries.
Note the creditor’s name, the account number, the date of the entry, and gather anything that contradicts it — bank statements, confirmation emails, payment records. That documentation determines which call you make next and how quickly it works.
Check Whether the Drop Is Even Real
Before you call anyone, confirm you’re comparing the same score over time. FICO Score 8 and VantageScore 4.0 are different models and can produce different numbers from the same data.2Equifax. What Is the Difference Between VantageScore 4.0 and Classic FICO Scores FICO needs at least six months of history and uses a point-in-time utilization snapshot; VantageScore 4.0 can score you with one month of history and looks at trended balances over time. They also treat collections and rate-shopping inquiries differently. If your bank shows one score and a credit app shows another, that gap may be a model difference rather than something you need to dispute.
Call the Credit Bureau If the Entry Is an Error
When something on your report is wrong, the credit bureau reporting it is your first call. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each bureau to investigate your dispute and give you an answer within 30 days of receiving it.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681i – Procedure in Case of Disputed Accuracy If you send additional evidence during that window, the bureau gets 15 extra days. The investigation is free.
You can file by phone, online, or by mail. Certified mail with return receipt is the option that gives you proof of delivery and a firm start date for the 30-day clock. Send copies of your evidence, never originals. Identify the specific account and the specific error, and explain why it’s wrong.
If the bureau can’t verify the disputed item during the investigation, it must delete the item from your file.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681i – Procedure in Case of Disputed Accuracy When any change results from the investigation, the bureau must send you a free updated report.4Federal Trade Commission. Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports File separately with each bureau where the error appears. The bureaus don’t automatically share dispute results.
Call the Creditor If the Entry Is Accurate
If the late payment or high balance actually happened, a formal dispute won’t help, because the information isn’t wrong. Your call goes to the company that reported it: your bank, credit card issuer, or loan servicer. Federal law gives creditors their own duty to investigate direct disputes and correct inaccurate data, and the same 30-day deadline applies.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681s-2 – Responsibilities of Furnishers of Information to Consumer Reporting Agencies6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR Part 1022 (Regulation V) – 1022.43 Direct Disputes Skip general customer service; look on your report or the creditor’s site for the credit dispute department. If the creditor confirms an error, it must notify every bureau it reports to so the correction spreads across your files.4Federal Trade Commission. Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports
Asking for a Goodwill Adjustment
Some creditors will voluntarily remove an accurate negative entry as a goodwill gesture, particularly when you have a long history of on-time payments and the missed one was a single slip. This isn’t a legal right. It’s entirely at the creditor’s discretion.
A goodwill letter works best when it’s short, polite, honest about what happened (job loss, medical issue, oversight), and clear about your reliability since. Credit unions and smaller lenders tend to be more receptive than large banks, and credit card issuers are generally more flexible than mortgage servicers. It costs you a stamp.
Call IdentityTheft.gov If You See Accounts You Never Opened
Accounts you don’t recognize and charges you never made are identity theft, and the path is different. Start at IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC’s dedicated portal, which generates an official FTC Identity Theft Report and a personalized recovery plan.7Federal Trade Commission. IdentityTheft.gov
That report is your key document. Send it to each bureau with proof of identity and a letter identifying the fraudulent accounts, and the bureau must block that information from your file within four business days.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c-2 – Block of Information Resulting From Identity Theft Blocking is stronger than a standard dispute because it prevents the information from reappearing.
You can also place a fraud alert. An initial fraud alert lasts 90 days and requires creditors to take reasonable steps to verify identity on new applications. Contact one bureau and it notifies the other two. An extended fraud alert lasts seven years but requires an identity theft report to set up.9Office for Victims of Crime. Statement of Rights for Identity Theft Victims
Placing a Credit Freeze
A credit freeze goes further. It blocks anyone from pulling your credit report at all, which stops new accounts from being opened in your name. Freezes are free under federal law, last until you lift them, and must be placed within one business day when you request one by phone or online.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts You freeze at each bureau separately and lift the freeze temporarily when you apply for credit yourself. A freeze doesn’t affect your existing accounts or your score; it only blocks new creditors from accessing your file.
Escalate to the CFPB or Your State Attorney General
When a bureau or creditor won’t fix an error after you’ve disputed it, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau supervises the credit reporting industry and takes complaints.11USAGov. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) A federal regulator looking over the company’s shoulder often produces results a second round of disputes won’t.
As of early 2026, the CFPB’s complaint portal requires you to first dispute with the credit bureau and wait at least 45 days before submitting, or that the bureau’s dispute process is no longer pending.12Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Credit and Consumer Reporting Complaint Notice Once you file, the CFPB forwards the complaint to the company, which has 15 calendar days to respond. If that first response isn’t final, the company has up to 60 days to provide a complete answer.13Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Your Company’s Role in the Complaint Process
The CFPB has undergone significant operational changes since early 2025, including staffing reductions and scaled-back activities. The complaint portal was still active as of February 2026, but response times and follow-up may differ from prior years. Your state attorney general’s office is another route: many state AGs can enforce federal consumer financial laws alongside their own state credit reporting statutes.
Call a Consumer Rights Attorney for Persistent Errors
When a bureau or creditor keeps reporting information you’ve already proven is wrong, or ignores your disputes altogether, you may have a claim under the FCRA. For willful violations, the law provides statutory damages between $100 and $1,000 per violation, plus any actual damages (a denied loan, a higher interest rate). Courts can also award punitive damages and reasonable attorney’s fees.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681n – Civil Liability for Willful Noncompliance
Because the FCRA shifts attorney’s fees, consumer rights attorneys often take these cases on contingency. Look for one who specializes in FCRA litigation. Before you call, pull your paper trail together: your initial dispute, the bureau’s response, follow-up evidence, and any CFPB complaint. A clean record showing you did the process correctly and the bureau still refused to fix the error is what makes the case.
Who Not to Call: Credit Repair Companies
A sudden score drop makes people vulnerable to companies promising a fast fix. Federal law prohibits credit repair organizations from charging you anything before they’ve fully performed the promised service.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1679b – Prohibited Practices Any company asking for payment upfront is breaking the law. That’s the clearest red flag.
No company can do anything for your credit that you can’t do yourself for free. Every dispute, letter, and complaint above is available to you at no cost. Companies that claim they can remove accurate negative information are lying: the law only requires removal of information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable. If you want professional guidance, look for a nonprofit credit counseling agency accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) or ISO 9001. These agencies charge little or nothing and are required to employ certified counselors.