If you do not have a Social Security number, credit bureaus can access your credit history using the other identifiers like your name, date of birth, address, and employment history.
Can Anyone Check Your Credit? The short answer is no. Legally speaking, a person or organization can check your credit only under certain circumstances. Someone either needs to have what's called “permissible purpose” or have your permission and cooperation in the process for the credit check to be considered legal.
Now, the good news is that lenders can't just access your credit report without your consent. The Fair Credit Reporting Act states that only businesses with a legitimate reason to check your credit report can do so, and generally, you have to consent in writing to having your credit report pulled.
Depending on their reason, these companies could either have done a hard or soft search. But it's important to remember that nobody can do a hard credit check without getting your permission first.
When you request a copy of your credit report, you will see a list of anyone who has requested your credit report within the past year, including any employers or prospective employers who have requested your report within the past two years for employment purposes.
Individuals and businesses must obtain written permission from the person whose credit they are seeking. In addition to written permission, the person must also give his social security number and current address. Obtaining a credit report without the person's permission is illegal.
A hard inquiry could negatively affect your credit score, but a single one for a credit card is not likely to impact your score much. However, multiple inquiries (especially within a short amount of time) could significantly impact your score, as it looks like you are short on cash to financial institutions.
Some examples: Lenders and creditors you are applying for credit with (for example, buying or leasing a vehicle) Existing creditors you have a relationship with, to review an existing account to determine whether you continue to meet the account terms. Debt collection companies, to use in collecting payment.
Unless you're posting pictures of your credit reports on social media, your credit information shouldn't be available to the public. It won't show up as a search engine result, and your loved ones can't request it, regardless of your relationship.
To find out more about any searches on your credit report, you will need to contact the company who carried out the search. You should be able to find the contact details by doing a quick internet search on the company name, but make sure any links you click on appear to be legitimate.
Individuals and businesses who do not have a legitimate legal reason or explicit permission cannot access your credit report. This list includes: The general public. Family members (even if you're married and share accounts)
What to do: Contact the creditor responsible for the hard inquiry. You should be able to find their contact details on their official website or social media page. Explain that you believe there is an error on your credit report and request that they remove the inquiry.
To freeze your credit, you have to contact each of the three credit bureaus — TransUnion, Equifax and Experian — individually. Placing a credit freeze is free for you and your children, as is lifting it when applying for new credit.
Can Someone Run a Credit Report Without Me Knowing? It depends. Like we said earlier, there are soft inquiries and hard inquiries. Soft inquiries happen all the time without you even knowing—a company might check your credit score if they're planning on mailing you a promotional offer.
While a handful of parties can access your credit report, they need to have a valid reason for doing so. For the most part, your credit remains confidential.
The bottom line. Your credit report can't be obtained by just anyone. The FCRA lays out in what situations a credit reporting agency can provide others access to your report. Even those who want access to your report can only ask for it if they have a legally permissible reason to do so.
Federal Regulations Prevent Married Individuals From Checking a Spouse's Personal Credit Report.
You can request annual credit reports for free from each of the 3 major reporting agencies—Experian, Equifax® and TransUnion®—online via www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.
The information in a credit check will vary based on the agency you use and how in depth of a report you pay for, but can include: Identifying Information: Confirmation of name, current and past addresses, date of birth, known employers, name of spouse, and Social Security number.
In a Nutshell
In the majority of states, employers can deny you employment if you have bad credit. Some states and cities have passed laws that prohibit the practice, though there are some exceptions, such as for jobs in the financial sector.
The best way to find out if someone has opened an account in your name is to pull your own credit reports to check.
Your credit reports include information about the types of credit accounts you've had, your payment history and certain other information such as your credit limits. Credit reports from the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies — Equifax, TransUnion and Experian — may contain different account information.
Contrary to popular belief, checking your own credit score won't lower it. That said, hard inquiries can lower your credit score. If hard inquiries occur without your consent, the Fair Credit Reporting Act allows you to remove those inquiries through a dispute.
This could've happened for a few reasons: The inquiry could have actually come from an authorized lender, could be a reporting error or could be a sign of possible identity theft.