Strategy: Get staggered free reports

January: CIBIL free report
April: Experian free report
July: Equifax free report
October: CRIF High Mark free report

Result: Quarterly monitoring without paying!

Check for:
- Name spelling
- Address (current and previous)
- Date of birth
- PAN number
- Contact details

Errors here can cause mismatched records or mixed files.

Each credit account shows:
- Lender name
- Account type (CC, loan, etc.)
- Credit limit/loan amount
- Current balance
- Payment history (DPD - Days Past Due)
- Account status
- Date opened/closed

Shows:
- Who accessed your report
- When they accessed it
- Soft vs. hard inquiries

Too many hard inquiries = negative impact

Explains:
- What's helping your score
- What's hurting your score
- Specific improvement suggestions

Immediate Attention Needed:
✗ Accounts you didn't open
✗ Incorrect personal information
✗ Wrong balances (higher than actual)
✗ Closed accounts showing open
✗ Duplicate accounts
✗ Incorrect payment history
✗ Unauthorized inquiries

Options:
- PolicyBazaar
- BankBazaar
- Paisa Bazaar
- CreditMantri
- OneScore

Usually Show:
- Free credit score
- Basic credit report
- Improvement tips

Premium Benefits:
- Unlimited score checks
- Full report access
- Real-time alerts
- Score simulator
- Dispute assistance

Identity protection services:
- Multi-bureau monitoring
- Dark web monitoring
- Identity theft insurance
- Fraud resolution assistance

Weekly:
- Check bank app for score snapshot
- Review SMS/email for new inquiries

Monthly:
- Log detailed score
- Note any changes
- Review recent accounts

Quarterly:
- Full credit report review
- Check all sections thoroughly
- Compare to previous quarter

Annually:
- Free reports from all bureaus
- Comprehensive review
- Update monitoring strategy

Sudden drops without reason:
- New accounts opened fraudulently
- High utilization on unknown card
- Missed payments you didn't miss

Investigate any drop of 50+ points you can't explain.

Hard inquiries from:
- Banks you didn't apply to
- NBFCs you don't recognize
- Multiple inquiries in short time

Could indicate fraud or identity theft.

Credit cards or loans you didn't take:
- Identity theft
- Someone using your documents
- Data breach exploitation

What It Does:
- Prevents new accounts being opened
- Existing accounts unaffected
- You can temporarily lift when needed

In India:
- Not as formalized as US
- Contact bureaus directly
- Request fraud alert on file

Set Up Alerts For:
- New account openings
- Hard inquiries
- Address changes
- Large balance changes
- Payments reported late

Protect:
- PAN card (don't share unnecessarily)
- Aadhaar (use virtual ID when possible)
- Bank statements
- Address proofs

1. Contact bureau to place fraud alert
2. Report to bank/lender for fraudulent account
3. File FIR with police
4. File complaint at cybercrime.gov.in
5. Freeze further credit activity
6. Document everything

Frequently Found Errors:
- Closed accounts shown as open
- Wrong credit limit
- Incorrect balance
- Payments marked late incorrectly
- Duplicate accounts
- Mixed files (someone else's info)
- Outdated negative information

Collect:
- Bank statements showing correct info
- Closure certificates
- Payment receipts
- Correspondence with lender

CIBIL:
- Online: myscore.cibil.com
- Click "Dispute" next to error
- Provide documentation
- Track dispute number

Timeline: 30 days typically

Also inform the original lender:
- Written complaint
- Attach evidence
- Request correction to bureau
- Follow up in writing

If Not Resolved:
- Escalate within bureau
- Contact Banking Ombudsman
- Add statement of dispute to report

Subject: Dispute - Incorrect Balance on Account [Number]

Dear Sir/Madam,

My credit report shows an incorrect balance of ₹XX,XXX 
on my [Card/Loan] account number [XXXX].

The correct balance as of [Date] is ₹XX,XXX, as shown 
in the attached statement.

Please investigate and correct this error within 30 days 
as required by RBI guidelines.

[Your Details]

Subject: Fraud Alert - Unauthorized Account

Dear Sir/Madam,

I found an account on my credit report that I did not open:
- Account Type: [Card/Loan]
- Lender: [Name]
- Account Number: [XXXX]

I am a victim of identity theft. Please:
1. Remove this account from my report
2. Place a fraud alert on my file
3. Provide details of how this account was opened

I have filed FIR Number [XXXX] regarding this fraud.

[Your Details]

+5 to +15 points:
- Paid off revolving debt
- Old negative info aged off
- Credit utilization decreased

+15 to +30 points:
- Negative item removed
- Major balance payoff
- Account closure properly reported

-5 to -15 points:
- New hard inquiry
- Slight utilization increase
- New account opened

-15 to -50+ points:
- Missed payment (30+ days)
- Very high utilization
- Collection account added

Goal: Improve from 680 to 750

Month 1-3:
- Pay down credit card to <30% utilization
- Set up autopay for all accounts
- Expected improvement: 20-30 points

Month 4-6:
- Maintain low utilization
- No new credit applications
- Expected improvement: 10-15 points

Month 7-12:
- Continue good habits
- Age of accounts increasing
- Expected improvement: 10-20 points

Total Expected: 40-65 points over 12 months

Why Check All Bureaus:
- Lenders use different bureaus
- Errors may exist on one, not others
- Fraud may show up differently
- Complete picture of credit

Strategy:
- Primary: CIBIL (most used)
- Secondary: Experian or Equifax
- Check all annually, primary monthly

Before Major Credit Application:

3 Months Before:
- Check all bureau reports
- Dispute any errors
- Optimize utilization

1 Month Before:
- Verify errors corrected
- Confirm score meets requirements
- No new applications

1 Week Before:
- Final score check
- Ensure no surprises
- Gather documentation

Monitoring Children's Credit:
- Children shouldn't have credit reports
- If they do, it's identity theft
- Check annually after age 16

Monitoring Elderly Parents:
- May be fraud targets
- Help set up monitoring
- Watch for unusual accounts

Set Up:
- Calendar reminders for monthly checks
- Email alerts from bureaus
- App notifications enabled
- Quarterly full review reminders

Spreadsheet Tracking:
- Score history
- Account inventory
- Dispute log
- Improvement timeline