‘I had no idea I was dead': B.C. man fights with TransUnion Canada to prove he's alive
The North Okanagan resident says his troubles with the credit reporting agency started at the end of 2017 when his mother passed away. Kupiak says his social insurance number had been mistakenly switched with his mother's on her death certificate. 'I had no idea I was dead. Like my pension stopped there's something the matter here,' said Kupiak.
Kupiak says he was able to clear up the confusion with the federal government about his pension, but when he went to borrow money he ran into issues again. 'I went to borrow money from the bank. I was buying a new house and I just needed a couple of grand to put down a deposit and my own credit union wouldn't give me any money,' said Kupiak.
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It was then, Kupiak says, he discovered Transunion Canada had mistakenly declared him as deceased. He says it's a situation he's been unable to resolve on his own. Kupiak says when he calls TransUnion to fix the error on his file, he's told there isn't an issue even though his TransUnion documentation proves otherwise. 'After eight years, this is ridiculous. I'm 73 years old. This started when I was 65,' said Kupiak.
1:50
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Kupiak says Transunion had requested he send copies of his passport and driver's license by mail for verification, but Kupiak says he's uncomfortable.
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'With all the scams happening out there today you don't want to send anybody any private information about yourself,' said Kupiak. 'I had no idea who I was talking to. All they would do is give me their first name.'
At one point, Kupiak reached out to the Better Business Bureau for help, but the BBB has since closed his case as unresolved.
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Consumer Matters reached out to TransUnion Canada on Kupiak's behalf and received a call immediately. Kupiak says TransUnion apologized and assured him the issue is now fixed.
In an email to Consumer Matters, TransUnion Canada stated in part:
'Due to privacy reasons, we do not provide information on individual consumers.
Mistaken reports of consumer deaths are rare, but they do happen on occasion. TransUnion receives information from a variety of sources, and in some cases, incorrect data may be reported to us.
When this happens, our contact centre can launch an investigation upon receiving a request to correct the information. In certain situations, consumers may need to contact the original source of the information directly to resolve the issue. In other cases, TransUnion can correct the file once the affected individual's identity has been verified…'
The Credit Counselling Society told Consumer Matters mistakes on credit reports are not uncommon.
'When misinformation is on your credit report it is going to have a profound effect on what your credit score is.
'Of course, all the information on your credit report gets calculated on the algorithm to give the score. When the information is wrong, it's important to act quickly and try to get that corrected,' said Mark Kalinowski who is an education specialist with the Credit Counselling Society
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In the meantime, Kupiak says he's happy his information is finally corrected with TransUnion and can put a long and frustrating experience to rest.
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