Credit Bureau Phone Numbers

I have recently been notified that a freeze was placed on my credit back in November of 2007. I did not place the freeze, and was never aware of this taking place.
I’ve never needed or used credit until recently in January when I went to purchase a car. My father co-signed for the loan, so I still got the car, I’m just not getting any credit for making the payments.

The 3 credit reporting bureaus all have the the same information on me, and all have the same time that the freeze was placed on my credit.
Of course, I have to have a 10 digit PIN number, which I do not have, and was never given.

I’ve tried all the phone numbers, and I absolutely cannot get on the line with a real person.
Please, if anyone has dealt with this, and/or has any information on how I can remove the freeze, please let me know.
Thanks

Check with one of the credit bureaus to see who put the freeze on. It sounds like one of those credit protection companies where they guarantee that no one can steal your credit / id theft. That is the lock they put on. My guess is that either you unknowingly activated it or they made an error giving the identification of their client (which might have the same name as you). Unfortunately, you may have to get the state authorities involved in this.

I have already pulled a copy of all 3 credit reports and went through and tried to recognize the items. I also have the phone numbers and addresses for some of the places, but not all. Is it best to start with the small bills and work up or the larger bills and work down? The majority of the collection accounts are for medical bills from when my daughter had surgery. Any ideas that may help me get on track would be greatly appreciated. I also know that once I get this settled and as well as now, I need to make sure all of my bills are paid on time and that the accounts in good standing need to keep low balances. Thanks.

There are many ways to restore your credit. First, you must make sure the items being reported on your report are really yours. Many times you have either already paid or you may be a junior or senior or III and it is someone elses info on your report. Once you have found any discrepencies you can dispute any items on your report through the bureaus themselves. This can be done online or by snail mail explaining what items you are disputing. This will take approx 60 to 90 days to update your report.
Second, make sure you make all payments on time to all accounts that are still open and not in collection. If you are past due on any accounts bring them up to date so they do not go into collection.
Third, look at all the collections. If you have the ability to make a lump sum payment to any or all of the creditors (even if they are for different accounts with same collection agency) call them up and try to come up with a settlement for less than actual balance. ALWAYS GET A RECEIPT THAT SHOWS ACCOUNT IS "PAID IN FULL". If you can easily pay some of the smaller ones off go ahead and do so.
Fourth, contact the larger ones and set up a payment schedule with them. This will help your rating by showing you have the ability to make payments on a regular basis. You may see a slight dip in your scores in the short run especially if you have older collections with no recent activity. When you have activity on an old account it brings it back to a recent account with past due balance, however in the long run it is the best thing for your credit.
Another thing you must look at is your credit cards. Keep them at or below 50% of the high limit. This will increase your score. You can use cards and you should, but only use what you can pay each month, for example charge 200, pay150, you are showing you can make payments and only paying interest on the 50 leftover increasing your score. If you have any judgements on your report they must be satisfied through the courts in order to come off of your report. This will only happen after 10 years of being paid or satisfied.
Good luck and I hope this helps. It is good that you are interested in making things better for yourself. When you go to buy a house or car, your interst rate will be better and it will save you money in the long run.

ATTORNEY’s ADVICE – NO CHARGE

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should all take some of his advice! A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put ‘PHOTO ID REQUIRED.’

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the ‘For’ line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won’t have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. &nb sp;Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have It printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.
I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We’ve all heard horror stories about fraud that’s committed on us in stealing a Name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.

Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have first hand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve( s ) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN nu mber from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.
But here’s some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here’s what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)
7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an applicatio n for credit was made over the internet in my name.

The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves’ purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:

1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289

4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):
1-800-269-0271

Good Ideas.
One big flaw…If the user of the stolden ID looks like you & they have your credit card & ID, then writing "PHOTO ID REQUIRED" won’t do any good. There is a BIG NETWORK/Theft RING that does nothing but matching the stolen ID’s to the person in need of that ID (usually an illegal or Felon), for purposes of fraud for employment, government benefits, & to show authorities. Some are even arrested & serve jail time with your name & SS#! The only way to ID yourself as the person who did NOT commit the crime is with your FINGERPRINTS!

Everyone who has lost or "misplaced" their ID, or suspects foul play, should ask the Social Security Office for a PRINTOUT to see if anyone is using your SS# for purposes of employment. Some employers don’t know the hired help is using a stolden ID & #!

http://www.ssa.gov

In the middle column, scroll down to the last heading title (bold black letters),
"Get Help with your Situation", then click onto
"More Situations", then go to bottom of page & click onto 2nd to the last heading title,
"Are you a victim of Identity Theft" for more info.

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should all take some of his advice! A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put ‘PHOTO ID REQUIRED’.

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the ‘For’ line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won’t have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.

I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We’ve all heard horror stories about fraud that’s committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.

Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have first-hand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.

But here’s some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll-free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here’s what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)

7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the internet in my name.

The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves’ purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:

1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union: 1-800-680 7289

4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1- 800-269-0271

Hey Barbara, thank you so much for this information. I am going to print a copy of this and keep it in a handy place for further reference.

A bank I had a car loan from reported that I owe them money. The thing is the car was reported a loss by the insurance agency in 2004 (I have none of the paper work for this). It was the banks insurance, I only had the car for a little over a year before it was stolen, then burned. I didn’t have gap insurance, and apparently there was a gap between what I owed the bank and what the insurance paid (this is what the man who explained it to me said it must be). The thing is the bank had never in all these years called me to collect. My phone numbers, address and place of work have never changed, and not one call. I called the bank and asked them how I could pay it. They told me that they would have to investigate and find the info before I could pay, to wait for a letter. I got the letter and it said they couldn’t find that I owed them money, but before they would clear it from the credit bureau they needed me to prove I didn’t still owe money to the car dealer. When I called the car dealer they said if I had owed them money that the dealer would have been the one to report it,and besides that the dealer DOESN’T MAKE LOANS! They refused to give me a letter, they said (basically) the bank was full of it. The bank is sending me in circles, what do I do? I can’t get a new car until this is off my credit report, what should I do next? I read that a validation letter is used when a debt has gone to a collections agency, but this is with the bank. sorry so long, but I’m confused..
I have been calling and have talked to no less than 8 different reps, I have been waiting for a supervisor call back for three days. It’s just endless circles with costomer service. I’m starting with the credit bureau next week, let them deal with it. The way I see it is this, the bank has lost my info or they would have called me for the money a long time ago.

Yes, write a letter to the 3 credit bureau and state that you do not recognize this debt and you want this removed from your credit report. The 3 credit bureau will then send a letter to the bank and ask them for proof. If the bank does not respond within 30 days the 3 credit bureau will accept your request and remove the negative.

Good Luck!

I pulled my boyfriends credit report and he has a few negative things they total about 2200. I tried to look up phone numbers to contact the creditors but came up empty can anyone suggest what the next step wld be. He is just trying to clear up his credit and start to build credit

HAULT

before you go digging around his past, figure out what the statute of limitiations is in your state.

By calling, you could accidently reset the statute of limitations on those debts in some states.

If he has a debt on his credit from 1999, it is going to fall off soon anyway so just leave it alone…….

If your boyfriend has NO IDEA whom he owes…this is a bad sign and it suggests a lack of maturity on his part…..by you pretending to be his mommy by ‘helping’ him does not increase his responsibility level and I do caution aganist this……(but you are probably in love so I doubt you will hear me)

it is not shallow to never marry someone with bad credit-
bad credit is indicative of immaturity and lack of fiscal responsibility.

This is tied hand in hand with lack of life goals and other emotional problems…You trying to help him is a noble thing but please take a step back and ask if HE wants the help or is this your version of trying to MAKE him more of what you hope he will learn to be.

Why would a person have a friend of the opposite sex their spouse is "not allowed" to meet? Why would they prevent this friend from seeing their spouse? Why would they expect their spouse to "hide" when their ex was around? Why would they refuse to wear a wedding ring? Why would they hide the fact that they are married from their family? Or not tell those living in their own house that they are married? Why would they keep secret where they live from their family? Even family members who live in the neigborhood? Why would they hide all phone, credit or other bills from their spouse? Why would they refuse to disclose their whereabouts for hours on end, not answering or returning calls or texts? Why would they not allow their spouse to have a key to their vehicle or their P.O. Box? Why would they be receiving mail at their P.O. Box for another person of the opposite sex, with the same last name, but who is not a blood relative?Why would they try to prevent their spouse from engaging in activities outside the home? Or try to keep them from listening to music or watching tv? Why would they fail to place their spouses name on the house and conceal from others that the house was purchased? Why would their credit report list two social secuity numbers? Why would a person try to prevent their spouse from contacting family members, hiding where they live and refusing to give their spouse phone numbers to contact their family members? Why would a person refuse to disclose to their spouse their whereabouts when they take off work? Why would a person be so secretive towards their spouse? Could they just be "quirky" or suffer from some kind of paranoid delusion?

Anyone who acts like that towards their spouse should not be married. A marriage is a partnership and a sharing of lives. If you can’t share then you don’t need to be married.

I just want to update my phone number. I looked online and called some numbers for transunion and equifax in the phone book, and all I get is a bunch of stuff about free credit reports, fraud alerts and disputes.
I need to update my phone number because I put a fraud alert on my file, so I can’t apply for credit anywhere without them calling my phone. And what info do I need to include if I mail them?

It can only be done by writing a letter to the agency in care of the ultra slow motion department.

Credit reporting agencies are very quick to make you look bad, but almost never helpful in correcting mis-information. For something as simple as your phone number, don’t even bother, it don’t mean diddly.

All of the businesses I deal with on a daily bases check my credit score, but none of them report my dealings with them. I believe no one should be allowed to check credit scores unless they report as well. Does this make since to you? Whom do I contact and what are their contact phone and fax numbers?
All of my credit cards were paid off years ago there must be some way I can get all of my paid loans to these credit companies, remove the 2 that should not be there, and show I am a responsible consumer.

Сredit repair workеd fine to fix my credit. They disputed and removed lots of bad items from my credit report. I used this service – creditreport.undonet.com

My ex-husband and I divorced in 1998, I am now remarried with a different last name. He is now married to a woman with the same first name as me so now she has the exact same name I had when I was married to him. Can you see where the trouble begins?
So, I pull my credit report yesterday and find that there are 7 collection accounts on my experian report and 1 collection account on TU and 1 also on Equifax. I do my own "investigation" and find out that Experian has added my ex-husband’s new wife’s collection accounts to my report because we have similar names. Fine, but we don’t have similar date of births or social security numbers. I contacted Experian and have disputed these collections over the phone.
Now comes the hard part. I still had one common collection on all three of my reports and I knew it was not my bill. I called the Collection Agency to find out what information they had and sure enough it was my date of birth and my social security number. I then called the original creditor (a medical clinic) to find out what in the world was going on and to see if the New Wife was using my social security number. Turns out the bill was for her son and when she gave the billing clerk her name they pulled up MY old information instead and added the bill onto my account. The credit clerk at the clinic was very nice and said they would get it fixed with the Collection Agency. Meanwhile I have contacted all three CRA’s to dispute this collection account. I have worked very hard to build and groom my credit and it just makes me sick to think that somthing like this can keep me from getting the best intrest rates when I refinance my house. Have I done everything I can do to correct these mistakes? Is there anything else I can do to make sure these inaccuracies are removed?
Thank you all for your responses, I can’t pick a best answer because all of you had really good advice.

Sounds like you’ve done a wonderful job of remedying the situation. Tell your husband to let his wife know that from now on she needs to specify personal information about herself to keep her things from being applied to your reports. Give it 30 days and then follow up to make sure these items are removed.

I would also sign up with a credit monitoring service so you can keep an eye on your credit. I personally use TransUnion’s (http://www.truecredit.com). You’ll recieve fraud alerts via email anytime new information is added to your credit report. I recently found out that a "new employer" was added to mine and placed a fraud alert just in case someone was up to no good.