I requested my free credit report from Equifax via automated phone a few days ago even though I am a TrueCredit customer viewing updates online regularly. The hardcopy report came addressed to me, with my ssn, my previous addresses and my date of birth, however inside the report my name is changed to my daughter-in-laws name ( that lives with me) and is listing HER credit accounts. NOT MINE. This seems to be a major blunder on Equifax's part. How could they possibly associate my daughter-in-law with me simply because we have the same last name? Along with this report came a RESEARCH REQUEST FORM preprinted with my daughter-in-laws name, my social, my DOB and previous addresses. The form is for disputes. In a seperate mailing received today too, Equifax says they cannot confirm my identity and they request supporting documents for identity confirmation. i.e. ss card, utility bill etc. Someone took a huge leap to presume my daughter-in-law and I are one and the same. ( I should mention too that my online TRUECREDIT report does NOT have this blunder) AJ
Your files have been mixed. There may even be another file that is more "you", with your own accounts, and some other variations of your, or your daughter-in-law's, identity. It happens, and you want to get it straightened out. To the CRAs, an "identity" is just several pieces of identifying information that are reported similarly by multiple creditors. Same last name, and same address, implies same person. If a couple pieces match, it is assumed to be one person and merged to correct for possible "errors", including spelling errors, some DOB or SSN differences, etc. Their separate mailing indicates that some of the information reported by different companies doesn't quite match, which you would expect from this problem. They can, however, separate the accounts back out into separate files, and you want to make sure they do so, since otherwise the exact report details any creditor gets may depend on exactly how they have you identified. How similar is your name to your daughter-in-law? Do you also have any initials in common, or similar digits in your DOBs or SSNs? Have you had any joint or authorized user accounts in common?
The only way we are similar is my initials are AJB and hers are AMB. Our addresses are the same too. Everything else is entirely different. No joint or AU accounts between us.
Truecredit is thru TU, although if you are pulling merged reports, presumably they are also including Equifax data in them. Identifying information (name, SSN, DOB, address) is in effect a "sieve" to extract data from the CRAs' databases. The form of identifying information can affect what information comes back. TU may have you clearly separated from your D.I.L., yet the information provided in your direct request to Eq might match your D.I.L. Alternatively, your information might have ended up merged with your D.I.L.'s "file", probably because of the common address, and the report you got from your free report request was your D.I.L.'s report, corrupted with your identity info. Does your D.I.L. have a SSN? Do either the Truecredit or Eq reports show more than one SSN, or several "AKAs" possibly merging your names?
Does your D.I.L. have a SSN? Do either the Truecredit or Eq reports show more than one SSN, or several "AKAs" possibly merging your names? ------------------------------------------ My D.I.L has her own ssn. My Truecredit report is trimerged and doesn't show anyone other then myself under Equifax or any other CRA. The AKA's for my name have misspellings of my first name nowhere near my daughter-in-laws name. The online reports from Truecredit are completely me and only me. My D.I.L hasn't pulled her reports recently but maybe she should after I attempt to straighten this out. AJ
I hope not to cause a problem with this question, but is it possible that your DIL used your info with her name for her credit? It very well could be an honest mistake, but I wonder if it is something she did, or was there any kind of AU that could have caused both to be on the same report? I hope for a good outcome for you.
You have a report number. Call and ask, but do it quickly before they consider the report "old" (probably within 30 days). They should be able to see what identity information is being reported by the creditor for each account on your CR that is really your D.I.L.'s account, as well as how your own accounts are being reported. Follow up in writing, CRRR, with a formal dispute based on what you discover, even if they say verbally they have fixed it, to keep a paper trail and request an updated corrected report. Note, since the report they sent does not have YOUR accounts on it, due to their mixup, they have NOT provided you with YOUR free credit report yet. Nor have they provided it to your D.I.L., since she did not request it. If you get hassled, contact the FTC. Was the report you requested via the FACTA free annual credit report request system, or via some Equifax free 30 day trial come-on?
I requested the free yearly credit report via Equifax automated phone line. I did speak with them and they took a dispute to correct the report. They're sending me out an updated free report too. I faxed over my ID to them for confirmation. MY DIL would in no way use my ID. She doesn't even know my sn. This is clearly a mistake of Equifax. My DIL also informed me that she has never changed her maiden name ( they married last Dec) and all of her accounts as far as she knows are in her maiden name.!!!! This means Equifax took this leap merely on address similarity. My DIL and son are outraged and contacted a lawyer due to breach of privacy. I do not know what they intend to accomplish but my DIL's father is a federal judge so they are typically sensitve and aggressive in these matters. Thanks for all this helpful feedback AJ
