EX said they needed all this info to Investigate ?

[tmac01]

I asked EX to verify an account and they denied me sending me a letter. This is what the letter stated their reason for not being able to investigate :

" " A consumer credit reporting company shall require as a condition of disclosure that the consumer furnish proper identification; therfore if you write us we must require all of the following information in order to process your request:

1.Full name including middle and generation

2. Current mailing address

3. Social Security number

4. D.O.B.

5. Complete address from past two years

6. One copy of Government issued card (Drivers liscence, miltary I.D.)

7. One utility bill

Please make sure that all documents are legible....

When in the hell did this start with Experian ? Do I have to send all this ? I can't find any where in the FCRA that it states that I have to send them all this information. Is this a stall tactic ? Please help what do I do from here ? Thank you so much....

[pilgrimfaraway]

I've made it a habbit of sending that info in with each dispute. I have a doc set copied that I just include with each dispute.

Some say it is just a stalling tactic by the CRAs and they still work the dispute. I don't know. I just got this same letter once, read up and found that they actually have the right to request this info, so I started sending it standard with all disputes.

[tmac01]

Pilgrim,

you actually send a utility bill ? your drivers liscence ( an actual photocopy ?)I was always told to never send your social security ? Also, since this acct has shown up I now live in a different city so do I give them my new address and my last two addresses ? I just do not want this to haunt me in any way ....thanks a million !!

[pilgrimfaraway]

Well, I don't send originals, but I do send all the info they request. I did get my repair done in world record time (150-200 points improvement on all 3 reports in less than 45 days).

I don't know if all the info was necessary, or even wise, but I can tell you that my stuff got done really fast.

I phoned in my disputes, then sent in all the info, then called and asked for the status and told them that I had sent in info. Since I had fraud alerts on my file, I was working with the fraud victims dept and they are more proactive. They would frequently go and find the documentation and resolve the issue on the spot! Right now I have the only issue that took more than 4 weeks to resolve - a reinserted piece of info no less. Up until just now, everything has been just swimmingly easy for me. I think the documentation that I provide is part of the reason for the lack of delays.

[tmac01]

I'm a little confused !! When you say you do not send in the originals but you send in copies you are talking about copies of your DL, S.S., and a utility bill ? I assume you would not send in your real DL...lol... Did you send in all this information ? How did you phone in your disputes ? I have done it online but that tales forever !! Man I wish I could get those kind of results (45 days ? WOW !!) try 2 years and still counting !! So should I put fraud alerts on my CR with all 3 CRA's ? Sorry for all the questions..

[pilgrimfaraway]

My experience is that the people that work with the fraud victims are more informed and more proactive. So, I very much prefer to work with them.

Some people tell of difficulty securing credit with fraud alerts. that has not been a problem for me. After fixing my credit,I kept the FA on and still got my car refi'd and 3 credit cards w/o problem. But some tell of difficult access to credit.

Now, I have to say that my quick results were a combination of luck (blessing), obsessive perserverance, hours and hours on the phone (dispite advice on all boards, I called everyone including CA's and frequently).

I found that the most effective way to dispute with CRAs was:

1. through the fraud victims dept

2. call in an dispute a tl

3. fax in backup material

4. call in about 4 days later to follow up

5. have a really sad explanation for why I need this issue resolved as soon as humanly possible

6. grovel

Other people's results will vary, and I am just thankful that I didn't get entangled with any serious, 2 year problems.

[Ahntara]

"...I can't find anywhere in the FCRA that it states that I have to send them all this information..."

It's all over the FCRA that CRA's must have proof that you are YOU. How else would they be able to prove that without proper documentation, like a government issued ID, your SS# (which is used for verification with many credit items) and proof of where you reside, like a PUBLIC utility bill. In addition, much credit data is sorted by address. You wouldn't believe how crucial that is. So, for the most accurate CR, they also request the past 24 months of addresses. This is standard form for anything having to do with credit.

You wouldn't want them providing your personal credit data to just anyone who requested it, would you?

[tmac01]

So can EX request this or is this any type of violation on Experians side ? I mean they never asked for this info from before , WHY NOW ? Also, You stated that you could not find anywhere on the FCRA that you must include all this info yet you also state that it is standard. I have always given my name, address, and S.S. and they have always investigated w/ out any problems !! Thanks

[Ahntara]

Requiring proof of your identity prior to releasing personal credit information is not a violation. The requirement is definitely covered, numerous times, in the FCRA.

"...they never asked for this info from before , WHY NOW..."

You answered this question in a previous post.

"...Since this acct has shown up I now live in a different city..."

*resists the urge to say "duh"*

CRA's don't know who you are or where you live. All they have is DATA, which they match up with other data (like what you send in). So when something is different, they request further proof of who you are. This is not only NOT a violation, it's absolutely legal, appropriate, standard operating procedure. The requirement also exists for your protection.

[tmac01]

I understand where you are coming from but I have been dealing with the CRAs from my new city using the address that they have which is my parents address,It has shown up on my CRA for years. I honestly think it is a stall tactic as they have never asked for this info in two years and EQ and TU never do but oh well. I was once told by a lawyer " just send in the accts with their numbers and your name,address, and S.S. its their job to figure out if this is your TL. If they can't do it in 30 days then they have to delete it enough said," I guess those days are over. Thank You very much Ahntara

[pilgrimfaraway]

Yea, I think it can frequently be a stalling tactic. So, I figured out early - why give them the chance. I so exhaustively prove my identity, my current address and previous address and that it's my social security number, that there is no way they can send the dispute back for more identificiation.

Then, they sometimes send disputes back because of supposed lack of clarity as to what is being disputed or what the nature of the dispute is. I help them out with that too. The dispute letter starts with a bullet point outline of my dispute, including the tradeline as it appears in that CRA's report, the account number, the information that I am disputing and the basis for my dispute. A narrative then follows and is labeled as "Narrative description of the problem:". I guess I've worked in software for too long. Computers have no intelect at all and thus have to be given information in rudamentary language. I found that most people I have had to deal with in getting my credit issues resolved had IQ's only barely higher than the computers that I work with.

[tmac01]

I don't think I have ever met a person more organized than you Pilgrim I need to get my act together !!

[msldystrkr]

§ 610. Conditions and form of disclosure to consumers [15 U.S.C. § 1681h]

(a) In general.

(1) Proper identification. A consumer reporting agency shall require, as a condition of making the disclosures required under section 609 [§ 1681g], that the consumer furnish proper identification.

So yes they can ask you to furnish id.

[tmac01]

Now a days they can pretty much do wahtever they want...