31 Jul Can a creditor pull my credit without my permission?

Q. Is it legal in New Jersey for a timeshare company to which I owe money to pull my credit without my permission?
— Debtor

A. You have many rights as a debtor.

But often individuals who are behind on their debts are surprised when debt collection companies have obtained information against them.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA, debt collection companies are allowed to pull a person’s credit report for the purpose of trying to collect a debt, said Karra Kingston, a bankruptcy attorney in Union City.

“For a debt collector to have the legal right to pull a credit report without a person’s consent, they must owe the company an outstanding debt,” she said.

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This story was originally published on July 30. 2020.

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