Creditors and lenders may sell your accounts or use a third-party collection company, which can result in an unfamiliar name showing up on your credit report. Also, if you have a retail store credit card, it is quite common for such cards to be listed on your credit report under the name of the bank issuing the card, not the retailer.

If the unfamiliar creditor you see is listed only as making an inquiry, the listing may reflect a prescreened offer of credit to you. The Fair Credit Reporting Act permits prospective creditors or insurers to have the credit reporting company search your credit file to see if you meet criteria set by the creditor, in a process called prescreening, in order to make you a firm offer of credit or insurance.  You can opt out of prescreening.

However, if you believe the information is incorrect, you should dispute it.