Did you know that your personal information is being collected and publicly sold by information brokers to marketers, financial institutions, insurers, potential employers and landlords and others? Ever wonder what information these brokers have on you or from what sources they got the information? What about your credit report? Ever checked it? If you do not know what is being reported about you in these records, you cannot know whether the information is accurate. Inaccurate information can create problems for you in obtaining credit or health insurance, opening a bank account, or getting a job or a place to live. Why is the information inaccurate? The reason could be something simple and easy to fix like a clerical error or it could be something far more sinister and harder to fix like the theft of your personal identity.
The New York State Department of State Division of Consumer Protection offers below a list of 7 options that you should consider exercising to check the accuracy of your personal details in the records held by information brokers. If the records are not accurate, there are steps you can take to get them corrected. For each option, information on how to correct inaccuracies is provided. Your review of these records may also suggest a larger problem like identity theft if, for example, you find accounts and other activities under your name that you did not authorize. Should you discover possible identity theft, the Division has a full range of resources to help you in avoiding, detecting and handling identity theft page at or by calling the Division's Consumer Assistance Unit at 1-800-697-1220.
Now it is your turn to take the first step.
EXERCISE YOUR OPTIONS -- CHECKLIST FOR INFORMATION BROKER RECORDS
- Order your ChoicePoint Full File Disclosure: Certain companies collect and assemble information about you into reports which they sell to marketers, potential employers and others. These companies are generally referred to as "information brokers." To get an overview of the personal information that is being collected about you by information brokers, you should order your Full File Disclosure from ChoicePoint. The ChoicePoint Full File Disclosure will contain a broad range of personal information about where you've lived, where you've worked, what insurance coverage you've maintained and whether you've been convicted of a crime. For details on the types of information disclosed, visit https://www.choicetrust.com/pdfs/faq.htm. You can order your Full File Disclosure once every year free of charge with proper identity authentication. Instructions on how to make your request is located at www.choicetrust.com/pdfs/CD107_CP-File-Disclosure-Request-Form_pg-1.pdf and at https://www.choicetrust.com/pdfs/CD107_CP-File-Disclosure-Request-Form_pg-2.pdf. The "Request for Full File Disclosure" form can be found at https://www.choicetrust.com/pdfs/CD107_CP-File-Disclosure-Request-Form_pg-3.pdf.
- Order your credit history: Under federal law, you are entitled to a free credit report every twelve months from each of the three major credit reporting agencies --Equifax, Experian and TransUnion -- through www.annualcreditreport.com, by telephone at (877) 322-8228, or by mail to Annual Credit Report Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, Georgia 30348-5281. To stay current on your credit status and watch for signs of identity theft, we recommend you order one report every four months rather than all three every twelve months. If you find any errors, you should inform the credit reporting agency immediately. For information on how to correct errors on your credit report, visit the Credit.com instructional page at http://www.credit.com/credit_information/credit101/How-to-Correct-an-Error-on-a-Credit-Report.jsp. If you find evidence of identity theft, you should follow the steps outlined in the identity theft materials on the Division website at http://www.nysconsumer.gov/pdf/protecting/identity_theft/id_theft_online_version.pdf.
- Order your bank account history: If you have experienced problems with a checking or savings account or you have been a victim of check cashing fraud, you may have a ChexSystems report on file that could prevent you from opening any new accounts. Before attempting to open a new account, you should order your own report to review. Under federal law you are entitled to one free ChexSystems report every twelve months through the website www.consumerdebit.com or by telephone at (800) 428-9623. For problems with check fraud, you can obtain free reports from Shared Check Authorization Network (SCAN) at (800) 262-7771 and Tele-Check at www.telecheck.com or (800) 835-3243. Call the telephone numbers identified in this section to find out about each company's process for correcting errors.
- Order your healthcare history: If you have applied as an individual (not as a member of a group) for life, health or disability insurance during the past 7 years, the information you provided will have been transmitted to the Medical Information Bureau, a clearinghouse for the insurance industry. You can get a free copy of your MIB report every twelve months through the website www.mib.com/html/request_your_record.html or by telephone at (866) 692-6901. Intelliscript and MedPoint are databases that report on your prescription drug purchases to insurance companies. You can obtain a free annual report on your purchase activities (Intelliscript) at (877) 211-4816 or (MedPoint) at (888) 206-0335. If you are planning to apply for new insurance as an individual, you should order these reports and correct any mistakes before filing your application. Ask about the process for correcting mistakes when you call to obtain your report. For detailed information on privacy protection strategies for medical records, visit www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs8-med.htm.
- Order your property loss history: If you have reported insurance losses on your automobile or homeowner's policies over the past 7 years, this information will have been reported to the ChoicePoint information clearinghouse and will be available through its C.L.U.E. (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) Reports. Before you shop for new insurance coverage, it is a good idea to check whether the information reported from your existing policies is accurate. You can do that by ordering either a C.L.U.E. Report or an A-Plus Report from the companies identified below. For your free C.L.U.E. Auto or C.L.U.E. Personal Property Reports, visit www.choicetrust.com and click the links under "Order Your FACT Act Disclosure Reports" or call (866) 312-8076. For information on how to correct errors in your C.L.U.E. Report, please visit www.houselogic.com/articles/how-to-correct-your-clue-insurance-report.
- Order your tenant screening report: There are many companies offering tenant screening services to landlords so it is best to ask your potential landlord which service he or she uses and contact that company. If the landlord uses ChoicePoint, you can find information on the ChoicePoint website (www.choicetrust.com) on how to obtain a free copy of your tenant screening report. You can also call (877) 448-5732 to get your report. If your landlord uses First Advantage Safe Rent (www.fadvsaferent.com/index2.php), then you must first call (888) 333-2413 for a disclosure request form and fax or mail it back to the company. For full details, visit www.fadvsaferent.com/consumer_relations/contact_cr/index.php. When you call for your report, ask about the process for correcting mistakes.
- Order your employment data report: Your potential employer is obligated to inform you that it wants to conduct a background screening on you and to get your permission, but it is not obligated to tell which company it is using for the screening. As an alternate strategy to ensure that your employment data is being reported accurately, you may want to obtain an Employment Data Report through the Work Number, an organization that performs payroll and human resource functions and maintains a database of more than 39 million employees who work or have worked for a participating employer. You can obtain one free Employment Data Report from the Work Number database by contacting TALX Corporation either by telephone at (866) 604-6570 or by visiting www.theworknumber.com/Employees/datareport.asp. You will receive your report within 15 days. If you dispute any of the information in the report, call the Work Number's Customer Service Center at (800) 996-7566. They will investigate and report back to you on their findings within 30 days of your inquiry.
If you find an error in any of the information contained in your ChoicePoint Full File Disclosure, you should contact the appropriate ChoicePoint division for that type of information:
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Employment Reports: |
ChoicePoint Consumer Center PO Box 105108 Atlanta, GA 30348 888-497-0011, option 3 (toll-free) |
| Insurance Reports: (C.L.U.E (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) and Current Carrier) |
ChoicePoint Consumer Center PO Box 105108 Atlanta, GA 30348 888-497-0011, option 2 (toll-free) |
| Credit Reports | ChoicePoint Consumer Center PO Box105289 Atlanta, GA 30348 866-323-0932 (toll-free) |
| Resident Data Reports: (Resident history reports) |
Resident Data - A ChoicePoint Service PO Box 850126 Dallas, TX 75085 800-487-3246 (toll-free) |
| Public Records: (Public records search) | ChoicePoint Consumer Center PO Box 105108 Atlanta, GA 30348 866-623-0994 (toll-free) |