Because of a debt that may or may not be on my credit report, I tried requesting my credit report online through Annual Credit Report dot com.
But every time I’ve tried it, with each of the three major credit bureaus, I was told that they could not complete my request online. I tried repeatedly with most of them (especially since I have NoScript on my browser) and was consistently told that they could not give me the report online.
Is this necessarily indicative of some kind of problem or identity theft?
I had that problem(still sort of do) Someone had written my SSN down wrong a while ago on an account (one digit changed) and it took tens of phone calls, and faxes to get it straightened out once I got denied online. So If you are concerned, make that phone call now and start the process, it can be a major pain in the ass, and take a while but not necessarily indicative of a major problem.
Ohh yeah, the specific reason they said they said was that since I had had two SSNs there was no existing online process to validate my identity, so they couldn’t send me anything.
Phone call where? I just tried TransUnion’s phone number, and they could not process my request with the (accurate!) information I gave. And just two years ago I got my free report from Equifax with no problem.
Hm. I tried Annual Credit Report dot com’s phone number, and my Equifax request seemed to go through — at least, it SAID it’d be mailed within 15 business days.
I wonder if it’ll have all my information on it, so I can see if there’s anything erroneous about my address or number or something.
Another weird thing: a bunch of Google links (and another source I can’t recall) said to call 877-322-9228 for the credit report. Only when I called, it pitched that I’d “won” a free Bahamas cruise, which does NOT sound like something that ANY credit reporting agency, private or not, would do. The number I ended up calling was 877-322-8228. So where did the -9228 number come from?
And I just got Experian’s response: they are refusing my request for a credit report because I “did not provide sufficient identification information” — which I entered accurately through Annual Credit Report dot com’s phone system, and that has not changed since I got my last free report two years ago.
I’m REALLY starting to think I’ve been identity thieved now. They want me to mail in ID information, but as I’ve seen pointed out multiple times online, that means entrusting to the postal system actual info that WOULD allow me to be identity thieved, if I haven’t already. Is there any other way? Is there any other possibility for all these issues other than “my credit is now a smoking ruin”?
Hmm, I just thought of a possibility: my credit card bills go to a completely different address/state than my actual home (situation is complicated, so I won’t go into it here). I tried again with the address used for my credit card bills, but still no luck. Still, could that be a factor here? Which address SHOULD my credit report use?
I really want to get this figured out ASAP, because I’m job hunting.
Update: I did get my TransUnion report. Whew. I’d forgotten about the credit card bill address situation. (I’d still like an answer for that, for anyone who knows.)
I had a “relatively minor” screw-up with my credit card reports about a year ago, that took way more hassle that it ever should have to get cleared up.
Seems I tried to submit a change-of-address on-line, but the stupid on-line form only asks for one new address (without specifying if it should be residence address or mailing address, in case those are different). Of course, I gave the wrong one, expecting the following screen to be sensible (that is, to ask for a mailing address if different from residence address). Silly me. This resulting in my report being held up, and I had to send them some encyclopedic stack of identification information (well, really, just a copy of a recent utility bill and copy of a few ID cards or some such) before they could get it cleared up.
Here’s a general observation I have about bureaucracy: Of course we all love to hate “bureaucracy” and for umpty-ump good reasons too. Yes, a bureau that handles hundreds of thousands of records every day is going to make the occasional data entry error or other screw-up. That is to be expected. What galls the fucking shit out of me is the difficulty, once such a thing happens, in getting it straightened up. Bureaucracies typically just have no well-functioning mechanism for correcting the occasional inevitable errors that happen.
ETA: I’ve got my dander up about this currently for new reasons. My checking account got “compromised” at least hypothetically, so my bank strongly recommended that I close that account and open new one. Okay, fine. Now, the following week, I am still working my way through clearing up all the errors in the new account — mostly involving (you guessed it) getting my residence address and mailing address, or pieces thereof, mixed up. (I get my mail at a P. O. Box, but I don’t live in my P. O. Box.)
Yeah, I’m still having trouble getting the other two besides Transunion, even with the other address.
So I want to ask straight out: is there any reason why I shouldn’t make their address on file be my current mailing address for 99% of my correspondence, instead of the address my credit card bill goes to? Will doing so cause any problems?
Oh, and also, my Transunion report is pretty short and bare bones, but doesn’t show anything amiss. I know that at least increases the odds that the others are okay too (doesn’t guarantee it, I know), but by how much?
So If you are concerned, make that phone call now and start the process, it can be a major pain in the ass, and take a while but not necessarily indicative of a major problem.