May 16, 2002

9:47 AM

Ford Motor Credit Co. recently sent 13,000 people certified letters warning them that an unauthorized inquiry had been made on their credit reports and that they were now at risk for credit fraud and identity theft.

Just great.
posted by artifex (18 comments total)

Having experienced identity fraud [and the massive credit report cleanup the jerks left behind for me] about 10 years ago, I would say the best thing one can do is to contact all the credit bureaus to have a consumers' statement put on all your credit reports. Then, if someone makes an inquiry to your credit report, you will be notified. Worked for me.
posted by sbgrove at 10:41 AM on May 16, 2002

Or just ruin your credit yourself, then your identity isn't worth stealing...
posted by Nauip at 10:59 AM on May 16, 2002

the best thing one can do is to contact all the credit bureaus to have a consumers' statement put on all your credit reports.

What's a consumers' statement?
posted by donkeyschlong at 11:31 AM on May 16, 2002

I never thought of it that way, Nauip, thank you for showing me the light. Where were you when I bought my POS Ford?
posted by machaus at 11:32 AM on May 16, 2002

Or just ruin your credit yourself, then your identity isn't worth stealing...

Done. Any other ideas? ;)
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 11:42 AM on May 16, 2002

www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fcra.htm here's an FTC FAQ on credit reports.
Experian , Transunion and Equifax are the big 3 for reports.
posted by Blake at 12:17 PM on May 16, 2002

www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fcra.htm here's an FTC FAQ on credit reports.
Experian , Transunion and Equifax are the big 3 for reports.
posted by Blake at 12:20 PM on May 16, 2002

A consumer's statement on your credit reports says that when an inquiry is made, you have to be notified.

For example, after I placed the consumer's statement on my credit report and then applied for a new credit card, the credit card company contacted me to make sure that the application wasn't fraudulent.

Again, I did this 10 years ago, so the terminology may have changed. Blake, thanks for the FAQ link.
posted by sbgrove at 12:25 PM on May 16, 2002

Alternatively, move to the US as an adult from another country. No credit history = no credit; no credit = no credit history. The bank I use sees the salary going in every pay period and they won't trust me with a credit card. At least as a credit ghost your identity is worthless and debt isn't a problem!
posted by normy at 12:44 PM on May 16, 2002

A consumer's statement can also be used to dispute derogatory information, offer clarification about time periods when you might have been unemployed, etc. It's just a way of inserting your own comments into your report.
posted by briank at 12:45 PM on May 16, 2002

I'll have a steak sandwich. And, a steak sandwich.
posted by crasspastor at 12:49 PM on May 16, 2002

i'm waiting for someone to crash planes into the systems that house the experian, transunion and equifax databases myself. nothing like clearing up a lot of peoples credit in one swell foop.
posted by quonsar at 4:12 PM on May 16, 2002

i'm waiting for someone to crash planes into the systems that house the experian, transunion and equifax databases myself. nothing like clearing up a lot of peoples credit in one swell foop.

You don't think they don't keep offsite backups of that stuff, do you? I imagine that even if you destroyed all the systems that normally held the information, they could be up and running again within a month. Probably within a week.
posted by kindall at 4:39 PM on May 16, 2002

another delicious fantasy destroyed by an annoying realist! :-)
posted by quonsar at 6:07 PM on May 16, 2002

Wasn't that one of the plots in Fight Club? (Minus the planes, of course.)
posted by donkeyschlong at 11:22 AM on May 17, 2002

I'll have a steak sandwich. And, a steak sandwich.

That was hilarious, Mr. Underhill.
posted by Dirjy at 8:08 PM on May 19, 2002

Wasn't that one of the plots in Fight Club? (Minus the planes, of course.)

Yeah, and for someone who understands how that stuff really works, it was about as realistic as Wargames.
posted by kindall at 8:27 PM on May 19, 2002

Beyond a statement requesting notification of any credit check, it's also a good idea to request your credit report once a year to ensure that nothing's going on without your knowledge. Each of the big three will provide a free report to you once every twelve months, and again if you should ever experience a denial based upon information in their report. (Be that a denial on a credit card, loan, car lease, apartment lease or job.)

Another important thing to do is to make a note on your credit reports if you ever lose your wallet, even if it is found "intact." While credit card companies and banks will gladly change account numbers, if your driver's license and/or social security cards are compromised, you're opened up for identity theft, and those numbers are typically unchangeable.

That's just your credit FYI from someone whose wallet was recently "missing" for 24 hours.
posted by Dreama at 11:28 PM on May 19, 2002