 TITLE: How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report? CONTENT: Can Inquiries on My Credit Report Be Disputed?\n----------------------------------------------\nLegitimate inquiries can't be disputed or removed from your credit report until the two-year time period is up.\nA hard inquiry from a company you don't recognize doesn't necessarily indicate a case of identity theft. When you shop around for a mortgage or car loan, websites, brokers or dealerships may send your information to multiple lenders, who will each check your credit. If you don't recognize the name of the company that performed the hard inquiry, you can often find contact information for the company listed in the entry on your credit report or online, so you can call to verify.\nIf it turns out that a company pulled your credit report in error, you can ask the company to contact the credit bureau(s) to have the inquiry removed. If someone is fraudulently applying for credit in your name, you can contact the credit bureau to dispute the inquiry and ask to have it taken off your credit report. END