Q: Can a college I never attended put a hold on my tax return?
2010 I went to a college to get info on classes. I saw the prices & instantly left. They unknowingly enrolled me. Nothing was signed by me, no oral contract, never applied for fasfa. The following year on my credit report the school sent me to collections for a semester of classes. I went to the school to dispute this. they couldn't find me as a student. Upon further research they found me. made me fill out a form disputing the semester to send to their financial branch. Another year later, its still on my credit. I go into the school again to do the same thing again. They have no record of the form I filled out. Again, I filled it out. This has happened every year for 8 years. last year i got copies of everything. a copy of the form I filled out, copy of an email they sent to financial branch and names of employees I talked to. Its now gone from my credit. But I got a letter yesterday saying there is a hold on my tax return for this debt.
A: You should dispute this item on your credit report with Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. The Federal Trade Commission has a web page with instructions on Disputing Errors on Credit Reports that can provide you with information on how to dispute this item on your credit report. You can find the page here: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0151-disputing-errors-credit-reports
A: With regards to the hold on your tax refund, I would wonder about this because private companies typically cannot collect by seizing your income tax refund. I would contact the IRS directly to inquire about the situation.
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