What To Do If You Don't Recognize a credit enquiry On Your CIBIL report?

You check your CIBIL report and see a credit enquiry from a bank/financial institution that does not belong to you. This may, in some cases, mean that someone wrongfully accessed your credit information to apply for a loan or credit card. These could also be scenarios where you may have availed a loan/credit card from a third-party marketplace who partner with bank/financial institutions to issue loans/credit cards or you may have opted for a buy now pay later option, in such cases you may need to check who had lent you the credit line and the bank with whom these entities may have partnered.

We understand that these kinds of enquiries can be worrisome and may make you think that someone stole your identity. There are steps you can take if you discover such suspicious activity. You can investigate further by reaching out to the respective bank/financial institution or file a complaint with CIBIL regarding the incorrect information displayed on your CIBIL report .

As per the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act 2005, credit bureaus like CIBIL cannot make any corrections to the information in your CIBIL report without confirmation from the concerned bank / financial institution.

This blog will cover steps you can take to investigate fraudulent activities, and tips to make you aware of potential identity protection issues early.

Reporting Inaccuracies in Your CIBIL report

If you come across unfamiliar credit enquiries or other inaccuracies, you can take the following steps:

1. Sign up for your free annual CIBIL report and carefully review it. Identify any unfamiliar credit enquiries or other possible errors displayed in your CIBIL report.
2. Raise a formal dispute with CIBIL by logging into your CIBIL account . Outline the specific enquiry or information you are disputing along with relevant details.
3. CIBIL will process the dispute and if everything looks accurate at CIBIL, the dispute is forwarded to the respective lender.
4. The respective lender will accordingly rectify and update the information in your CIBIL report. If your dispute is accepted, they will provide a corrected report. If it is rejected, they will update the status in your online dispute dashboard which can be accessed by you in the logged in section of CIBIL account.

The key is to check your CIBIL report frequently, report inaccuracies, and escalate them if needed to protect against fraudulent activities or human errors. Stay in touch with the most recent changes in your credit profile with CIBIL alerts.

Check with the Bank or Financial Institution

As the next step, consider reaching out to the bank or financial institution behind the credit check. Request them to confirm what led them to access your credit history. If they cannot provide documentation evidencing that you applied for a new credit card or loan, you can request they notify the credit bureau to remove the credit enquiry from your CIBIL report. Sometimes, lenders mix up consumer profiles by mistake. Making direct contact helps addressing the issue in a timely manner.

Additionally, you have the option to initiate a dispute with CIBIL. When you report inaccuracies in writing, the bureau will forward your dispute to the respective bank or financial institution. This directly enables you to get clarification while also requesting correction of potential errors.

Get CIBIL Alerts

Getting alerts about key changes to your credit profile allows you to stay on top of your credit and catch any potential fraudulent activity early on. CIBIL alerts are important because they act as an early warning system for your finances. CIBIL alerts are notifications sent to you via SMS/Email by CIBIL when certain important changes, as mentioned below are made to your CIBIL report.

• Change in your CIBIL Score
• Change in your personal information, like, your address or phone number
• Change in utilization
• Change in delinquency
• Addition of a new credit enquiry
• Addition of a new loan or credit card account

CIBIL alert is available with standard and premium paid subscriptions offered by CIBIL. By subscribing to CIBIL’s alert services, you can receive alerts on critical changes made to your credit profile. CIBIL alerts help you monitor your credit profile more easily and protect your credit health by taking quick action.

If an unfamiliar credit enquiry appears in your CIBIL report, stay calm and take systematic steps to get to the bottom of it - reach out to the bank/financial institution, dispute inaccuracies with CIBIL, enable CIBIL alerts for real-time monitoring, and file an identity theft report if fraud is detected. Being proactive helps protect your financial reputation.