Do you know who is pulling your credit? This is a well known secret of the credit bureaus, they are selling your information DAILY. I am sure you have received the offers in the mail for preapproved credit cards, mortgages, auto and personal loans. The reason you receive these offers is because the credit reporting agencies sell your information to these companies in there backend marketing products.
What the companies do is submit the credit reporting agencies a list of criteria for their offer and credit reporting agencies deliver the credit reports or consumers that meet this criteria to them. Where are they delivering it to? With the day of automation and outsourcing it is probably going over seas for somebody or some machine to examine your personal credit report.
Many like receiving these offers in the mail but at what cost? Every day when we turn on the news we hear about peoples personal information being compromised. With the rise of Identity Theft and mishandling of personal information you need to limit access to your personal credit report. This is very simply accomplished by opting out with the credit reporting agencies. To opt out you need to get a copy of your credit report and it will contain instuctions on how to do this. The credit reporting agencies do not advertise the fact that you can opt-out of preapproved offers because it limits there income streams. Also without a copy of your credit report you really have no idea what companies or how many times your personal information is being accessed.
Most people know what a credit inquiries are. The only ones that potential creditors see are ones initiated by you. A regular credit report that potential creditors see do not list the credit inquires from where the credit bureaus sell your information. They are coded so that they can only be seen by you and the credit reporting agency. The only way to know who has accessed your credit report without your knowledge is to order your own copy of your credit report.
You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report each year but it will not provide the information that is available from Equifax Credit Watch Gold 3-in-1 I encourage you to take a look at it and protect yourself. Make sure you opt out from future offers to protect your credit rating and personal information.
