     Morty (Morty) | Monday, July 03, 2000 - 10:03 am 
On the generous advice of participants of this forum, I sent a letter to 2 cra's, disputing the appearance on my credit report of an account that had been discharged in bk.
One cra, trans union, sent me a letter, THANKING ME for the inquiry and requesting that I send a copy of my drivers license and social security card to them.
Now, I'm no expert on the fcra but I do not recall
seeing that I have to supply such information in order to have an investigation take place.
Any suggestions of what action(s) I should take? |
| Peri K (Peri) | Monday, July 03, 2000 - 07:16 pm
I just received a letter today from TransUnion, also. I had applied a while ago for credit, and was denied. The credit issuer wrote to me and indicated TransUnion supplied the information they used to deny me. I sent a copy of the denial letter to TransUnion, and requested a copy of my credit report. I supplied my Social Security Number to TransUnion in the letter. My letterhead included my current address, as did the denial letter from the credit issuer.
TransUnion's letter to me today refuses to send me a copy of my credit report, unless I supply a copy of my driver's license, bank statement, and cancelled check.
I'm not 100% on top of everything in the NCRA, but I *do* think it is not necessary to supply TransUnion with everything they are demanding, either.
-Peri |
| Christine Baker (Admin) | Tuesday, July 04, 2000 - 01:22 am
I've read that social security cards are NOT to be used as ID. Does anyone have an URL with the code?
Do the CRAs assure you that the supplied documentation will remain confidential and will NOT be sold or otherwise distributed?
My Equifax letter dated 2/7/99 states that my phone number (which they are requesting) won't be used for telemarketing. That means they'd cheerfully sell it to collection agencies.
I think that the denial letter is sufficient proof.
Why do CRAs freely distribute my reports to others WITHOUT my authorization while refusing to provide me with those reports?
I could give them a copy of my social security card, since I have one, but I never had a driver's license or any ID in Arizona. I did't have utility bills or a lease, not with any address.
So where does THAT leave me? I lost the rights to my own credit reports?
As longtime readers probably remember, AT&T required a deposit for my cell phone based on Experian and Equifax reports.
I had paid the $1,000 deposit to AVOID the credit check, and service was already active for a couple of weeks when AT&T ran my credit anyway. WITHOUT my social security number and after promising that they would NOT run my credit.
Maybe the CRAs couldn't find a file for me at that address and that's why the deposit was required. I just want a copy of whatever the bureaus provided to AT&T.
Can you believe that I've hauled crap like those AT&T and CRA letters from Arizona to Alaska and back!!!???
I wonder if it's too late for me to do anything about this. |
| Shylock (Shylock) | Tuesday, July 04, 2000 - 04:12 am
It's understandable that Trans Union may want some sort of proof that you really are who you say you are and really live where you say you do. They are only trying to protect you from identity theft while increasing the information they have about you that they can sell.
And it's understandable that you might not want to give them your driver's license number, bank account information, telephone number, etc. So what do you do?
Have you tried just going to a notary public and getting a notarial jurat attesting that you showed the notary your ID proving that you really are you?
I don't even have a social security card but Trans Union sent me my information just fine. |
| Christine Baker (Admin) | Tuesday, July 04, 2000 - 09:10 am
*I* haven't considered getting a "notarial jurat." And I don't intend to do so, unless the CRAs pay for my time and expenses.
But I'd be very happy if they required my ordinary signature prior to distributing my reports to prevent UNAUTHORIZED reports and subsequent identity theft.
I don't see how the CRAs are preventing identity theft by refusing to provide ME with my report. After all, they're freely giving my report including me dob, dl # and any other info they have on me to OTHERS without my permission.
HOW could somebody steal my identity by applying under my name and MY address for a service that gets declined?
I guess that person could BRIBE my mail people to give them JUST the decline letter.
NEXT, that person requests my credit report with that decline letter, and AGAIN bribes the mail outfit to get my credit report.
Does anyone know of just ONE case where that happened?
I'd really like to know HOW MANY identities have been stolen by using THIS approach! |
