[TriLUG] SSN for applying to jobs

[Scott G. Hall]

On 11/25/2004 01:49 AM William Sutton <william at trilug.org> wrote:
> Kevin, do you still have a link to that N&O article?  I'm finding
> myself getting a ton of those pre-approved credit card applications
> and would like to stem the tide.
> 
> William
> 
> On Wed, 24 Nov 2004, Kevin Flanagan wrote:
>> The N&O ran an article a week ago this past Sunday about avoiding ID
>> theft.  One of the items listed was a phone number to prevent all of
>> those preapproved Credit Card offers, the legit ones, from showing up.
>> What that does is to disallow "mini credit checks" that they do to
>> approve you.  I haven't seen more than 1/2 a dozen offers in 3 years.
>> I suspect that this is a more complete check, they do not need your
>> permission for all checks, I'm guessing that the application would also
>> have language on their that allows a credit and criminal records check.
>> I know that banks do both.
>> 
> 

According to law, your best bet is to call the national phone number set up:
      1-888-5-OPT-OUT - opting out of credit card solicitations

A quick search on Clark Howard's website reveals this:  (long)

--------<start quote>----------

Show Notes for Tuesday, November 30:

Web sites/phone numbers mentioned:
• 1-888-5-OPT-OUT - opting out of credit card solicitations
• fcc.gov - int'l calls via computer from porn site

*_I.D. theft ring opens eyes_*
... [We are] all left to clean up the mess. The banks and the credit card
companies don’t care about you, so you have to take care of yourself. The
first thing to do is to request copies of your credit reports from the
credit bureaus at least once a year. Secondly, stop the “pre-approves”
that thieves often steal out of your mailbox by calling 888-5-OPT-OUT.
Lastly, remember that if a criminal steals checks out of your mailbox and
uses them, you can go to jail. So, if you order checks from your bank, go
to the bank to pick them up. Don’t have them mailed to you. And, in the
meantime, let’s hope the retailers and credit card companies start to care
a little more about this crime.

Show Notes for Friday, May 7:

Web sites/phone numbers mentioned:
• eloan.com - free credit score
• idtheftresourcecenter.org

*_Credit card solicitations changing_*
You’ve probably gotten what look like great offers on credit cards in the
mail. But these cards are getting such poor responses to these zero percent
offers that they are dialing back on the number of offers they’re sending
out. These companies have to send out 200 offers to get one response. They
used to get a response every 60 to 65 offers. And companies spend $120 to
get one customer, so there is a big cost. So, there is going to be a shift
in the industry to send people cards that have loyalty programs built in.
And the more miles or gas you earn, for instance, you get rewards or cash
in return. Whether they will treat you well or not is yet to be seen. But
this is what you will start to see in your mailbox. To reduce the number of
solicitations you get, call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT. It’s safe to enter your
information over the phone, including your social security number. And the
solicitations will stop. The average American now carries 13.5 credit cards
on average. You really only need three at most. So, take control of your
credit.

Show Notes for Friday, March 12:

Web sites/phone numbers mentioned:
• myfico.com - get info on credit scores

*_Protecting yourself against ID theft_*
[...] So, what should you do to avoid being a victim? The first thing is to
buy a paper shredder. Identity thieves have no qualms about going through
your trash and filling out pre-approvals for credit cards in your name.
Another thing you can do is to call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT, which tells the Direct
Marketing Association that you don’t want pre-approvals from credit cards
in your mailbox. You’ll stop about 93 percent of credit card offers with
this option. And if you carry a checkbook, don’t. If someone steals your
checks and writes checks as if they are you, you could wind up in jail. It
doesn’t matter if you will be cleared later, you will suffer massively if
a thief gets a hold of your checkbook. So, keep your checkbook at home, and
pay cash or credit instead. Even though Clark doesn’t like fake Visa or
Master Cards, they are much better than checks.

*_All about credit scores_*
Clark sometimes talks about subjects in radio shorthand, meaning he skims
over the issue assuming listeners know the background of the topic. One of
those topics is credit scores. A credit score is a three-digit number that
tells a lender your level of risk for lending money. The higher the score,
the lower the risk and vice versa. And, each of us has three credit scores,
one for each of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian).
The scores are what actually determine what type of loan or service we get,
except when it comes to mortgages, when lenders want to know all of your
scores. The numbers usually go from the 300s to the 800s, and the score
you’re shooting for is 720. The average score for Americans is 678, according
to Experian’s credit score site, nationalscore.com. The most credit worthy
area of the country is New England, followed by the MidWest. People handle
money the worst in Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The southern
states also scored pretty low compared to the rest of the country. Your
credit score is based, first of all, on paying your bills on time. You are
so far ahead of the game if you do this. The second most important factor
is how much debt are you carrying? If you’re planning to buy a home in the
next six months, you want reports and scores from all three bureaus. If you
know you're credit score, you won't allow car dealerships to charge you a
inflated rate. Know what interest rate you're good for before you start
shopping.

Clark's Show Topics:
   • Money: Credit reports

*_Congress asks for a reprieve about credit bureaus - August 10, 2004_*
Over the past couple of months, Clark has gotten very angry about calls
from listeners who have been unable to get credit reports from the nation’s
credit bureaus. Consumers call to get the report and then it never shows.
When they call to get information on why it never showed, the bureaus say
people must have received a credit report to talk to someone about it. But
the person never got the report! Clark called the various bureaus and even
the trade organization that speaks for them. TransUnion was the only
company that responded, saying that Fair Debt Reporting Act does not
require that the bureaus speak to Americans. Everyone else simply refused
to talk. So, Clark and his crew went to Congress to discuss the issue and
the meaning of the Fair Debt Reporting Act. Clark was asked by the Senate’s
Banking & Finance Committee to hold off on taking on the credit bureaus
because there is a new procedure going into effect in December. It will
allow people to get a free credit report once a year with just one phone
call. Residents in the Western states will be able to make the request
Dec. 1, and other parts of the country will be phased in by Dec. 1 of 2005.
Midwestern states will be able to make requests starting March 1; Southern
state – June 1; and the East and Northeast – Sept. 1. We have to remember
that we’re dealing with an industry that does not care about consumers, so
we’ll see if it really happens the way Congress says it will. Five states
already give you free reports, but you have to call each bureau to get one.
They are Colorado, Massachusetts, Maryland, Vermont and New Jersey. In
Georgia, people can get two reports a year. Under the new law, one phone
call will get you reports from all three. If that part of the problem gets
fixed, great. But another problem is that getting information corrected on
credit reports is next to impossible. So, for now, Clark is taking a break
from talking about the problems with the credit bureaus. But as soon as it
passes and is time, he will revisit this.

*_Credit bureau Catch 22 is ridiculous - July 13, 2004_*
A couple weeks ago, Clark had a customer on air named Dale, who is in a
Catch 22 with the credit bureaus. Dale is trying to get a copy of his
credit report, but he can’t get a copy because something is wrong with his
address on the report. So, he’s trying to fix the address, but the credit
bureau won’t talk to Dale because he doesn’t have a credit report. How
absolutely ludicrous is that. Clark called the credit bureau in question,
Transunion, to find out what was going on. TransUnion refused to comment.
Clark then went to the trade association for the bureaus, the Consumer
Data Industry Association. Spokespeople there also refused to comment.
Clark’s team has since found out that credit bureaus somehow got Congress
to agree that they didn’t have to speak to customers unless those customers
have a credit report. So, basically, the credit bureaus hold the public in
complete contempt. Unless you have a report and are considered a “customer,”
you can’t correct an error because no one will talk to you. Clark is not a
big fan of government involvement when there are other ways to solve
problems. But in this case, we need someone else to step in. These credit
bureaus don’t care that they are putting out erroneous information on
peoples’ reports and something needs to be done about it. Clark’s next step
is to talk to the person who oversees the Fair Debt Reporting Act in the
U.S. House and Senate. It’s about time that basic human decency is part of
the equation.

*_Myfico's "What If" Tool - May 22, 2002_*
Credit scores have become huge these days because the number, which was
always kept under wraps, is now public. And, people know the number is
used for so many things, including the loan rate you are quoted, the amount
you can borrow and even your insurance coverage. Well, myfico.com now has
an interactive tool that tells you what you need to do if your score is
lower than you’d like it to be. You can only use the tool if you sign up
for myfico’s credit report and score, which costs $12.95. So, if your score
is good, in the 700s or 800s, don’t need to worry about signing up. But if
you’d like to find out how to improve your score, it’s worth it. These days
even auto and home insurance companies are basing their decisions about you
on your credit score. So, keep this in mind.

---------<end quote>-----------

Note that by federal law the credit bureaus have to provide you with one
free credit report per year -- don't let them charge for this.  Second
note that they are required to abide by the "OPT-OUT" listings only within
60 days of you calling it.

-- 
Scott G. Hall
Raleigh, NC, USA
ScottGHall at BellSouth.Net