Amateur Golfer Gets Invited to the Masters: Mistakes Like That on Rare on a Golf Course But Common on a Credit Report

Scott Stallings, a Georgia real estate agent, was amazed to open his mail and discover that he’d been invited to play in the Masters, one of the world’s most prestigious golf tournaments. While Stallings is an amateur golfer, once he’d recovered from the shock of receiving the invitation, he and his wife Jennifer realized the invitation was a mistake. It should have gone to another Scott Stallings, a professional golfer on the PGA tour.

Stallings (the realtor) reached out to Stallings (golf star) on social media to tell him about the mistaken invite. At first, Stallings (golf star) and his wife, also named Jennifer, thought it was a prank, but they eventually realized that Stallings, the real estate agent was a real Good Samaritan.

Once Stallings (golfer) finally got the invitation, the next thing both families should have done was check their credit reports.

While a misaddressed tournament invite is exceptional, having a “mixed file,” where someone else’s information shows up in another person’s credit report, is very common. Studies have shown that it is one of the main errors people find in a credit report.

Mixed files aren’t always the subject of an innocent mistake. Sometimes it can be a result of identity theft. But no matter the cause, the error can dramatically impact someone’s credit score since it brings another person’s income and other economic activity into their own. Thus, it can lower someone’s score because credit bureaus will add credit card debt and other holdings to determine their overall financial liability.

Mixed files can also be a concern elsewhere. The Social Security Administration has also mistakenly combined earning records of people of the same name.

Resolving a mixed file—convincing the credit bureau of an error—can be complicated. That’s especially true in a case such as this, where not just one but both spouses share the same name.

If you see any mixed file errors or other mistakes on your credit report, the credit bureaus mustany mixed file errors or other mistakes on your credit report, the credit bureaus are required to fix them. But if you need help having your information corrected, contact an attorney who specializes in representing clients like you. A lawyer can not only help you repair your record, but they can also help you obtain compensation for any damages you sustained.