Matching shortcuts

Instead of matching you with perfect precision, some systems rely on combinations of name, partial Social Security number, date of birth, and address. If you share enough details with someone else — or if a digit is mistyped — their data can land in your file.

Common names and shared addresses

If your last name is common or you come from a large family that shares addresses over time, the risk goes up. Siblings, parents, and children can have their data tangled together.

Data entry and coding errors

A single mis-keyed number or name can send an account to the wrong file. Once it’s in there, automated systems may keep spreading that error across different reports.

Bulk public records

Bureaus often buy public-record data in bulk (court records, judgments, bankruptcies). Matching those to the correct person is complex — and mistakes are common.

Poor dispute handling

Even when consumers point out obvious mix-ups, bureaus may rely on automated dispute systems that ask the furnisher (like a bank or collector) to quickly click “verified” or “updated.” That’s often not enough to truly separate two blended identities.

1. Credit cards, auto loans, or personal loans you never opened.
2. Collections and charge-offs tied to debts you never owed.
3. Lines of credit and store cards from places you’ve never shopped.

1. Bankruptcies you never filed.
2. Judgments or tax liens that belong to someone else.
3. Criminal or civil court records linked to your name by mistake.

1. Multiple middle initials, name spellings, or surnames you’ve never used.
2. Addresses where you never lived.
3. Employers you never worked for.

1. True identity theft (someone used your information to open accounts) combined with mixed-file errors (bureaus merging data from more than one person), creating a confusing, messy file.

1. Credit bureaus repeatedly “verify” the wrong information after superficial investigations.
2. Temporary corrections that later revert back to the wrong data.
3. Multiple dispute cycles with no lasting fix.

Accurate reports

Consumer reports must be as accurate and complete as reasonably possible. Mixed files, by definition, violate this standard.

Notice of adverse action

If you’re denied credit, housing, insurance, or a job based on a report, the company must tell you and identify the CRA that supplied the information.

Access to your information

You can request copies of your credit reports (and many specialty reports) to see what’s being reported about you.

Dispute and investigation

You can dispute information that is inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or not yours. Credit bureaus and, in many cases, furnishers must conduct a reasonable investigation — not just rubber-stamp the error.

Correction or deletion

If information is found to be mixed, inaccurate, or unverifiable, it generally must be corrected or removed — not left on your report.

Compensation

If a credit bureau or furnisher willfully or negligently violates the FCRA, you may be entitled to actual damages (including emotional distress), statutory damages in some cases, punitive damages, and payment of attorneys’ fees and costs.

For consumers

You tell us what happened—denials, unfamiliar accounts, repeated disputes, or evidence of someone else's data on your report—upload your credit reports, denial letters, disputes, and supporting documents, and we match you with licensed consumer-law attorneys who handle mixed-file and FCRA cases in your state.

For partners

Mortgage lenders, real estate agents, credit-repair services, auto dealers, HR professionals, and other partners who often encounter mixed files first can refer clients to Leadia instead of turning them away, and can track referrals and earn rewards when qualifying cases move forward.

For everyone

Our focus is connecting the right people with the right lawyers quickly and transparently, and most attorneys in our network work on contingency, so clients typically pay no upfront legal fees.