How can someone open up a credit file with your social security number but they use their own name? some one please help.?
I am 18 years old and i am a member of a credit union and i am trying to get a credit card with the credit union and they said that their system keeps saying error and they told me that i need to check with equifax because they cannot run a credit report on me to get the credit card? So i got in contact with equifax and told them what was going on and they asked for my social and they looked it up and said that there is a problem. they said that a woman in california already has a credit file with them with the social i gave them and they want me to fax copies of my id and social security number and all of this other stuff to prove that the social security is mine. when i asked who was doing it, they said that they cannot give out that information but they were so quick to take my information and let someone open up credit with my social which is bs. So i want to know how was this woman able to use my social security number but her own name to get legitimate credit on file. I though that they investigate the social number to know who it belongs to. they also said she had credit on file with that social for 10 years so that means I was 8 years old when she was using my stuff and im just finding out at age 18 when im trying to get credit. Now they want me to send hell of documents to prove my identity. but this woman did not have to send documents to prove hers, she was just able to type in my social and set up a credit file which is not fair but i have to prove something.
Beverly S2018-08-01T18:30:56Z
You don't get how this works. The credit bureau has nothing to do with who opened an acct. under your name. All they do is report gather data from the credit card/car companies etc on who paid when. This lady went to a store or car place or got a credit card & someone keyed in her social wrong. The reason I know this is because if she gave the wrong social sec. # (yours) then it would be reporting wrong on all 3 credit bureaus, not just Equifax. I woke in the mortgage business & see this all the time. Send them what they need & this will be fixed. If you don't it will haunt you for life. Quit blaming the credit bureau though.. they are just being told what to put..
First of all, all the credit bureaus do is collect information from their subscribers, mostly banks, credit unions, and collection agencies. If one of their subscribers reported someone named Mary Smith using your social security number all they do is keep Mary Smith's file. When you dispute something with them, they are required by law to investigate. They will contact their subscriber to find out what is going on. What will happen is that the subscriber will answer that Mary Smith applied for credit using the social security number she gave them, and since everything check out at that time, they had no choice to let her. Banks have no way to match up anyone's name with a social security number, all they can check is if the number is valid. What is most likely to happen is that you will have to contact your local police and file identity theft charges against Mary Smith.
You are the victim of child-identity theft! Millions of children have their identities stolen every year, most commonly by illegal aliens. Children's identities & SSNs are particularly valued by illegal aliens and criminals because there is no existing credit records, and they have a long time to charge up huge debts before the true owner can uncover the theft. There are documented records of as many as 57 illegal aliens all using the same stolen SSN!
You need to report this to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission keeps records of identity theft). You need to identify yourself as the true owner of the SSN at all 3 major credit reporting agencies, and get a full credit report from each one. There should be some data on there as to name being used, addresses, employers, etc. You may be able to use this to file police reports in the jurisdiction where the perpetrator lives, works. Try to get the person prosecuted - they are committing major felonies. Go in person to nearest Social Security office with your original Social Security card, birth certificate, IDs; they need to correct their records, or may be able to issue you a new SSN. However, since identity theft rings "make up" SSNs, it is possible the newly issued SSN is already being used by illegal aliens who purchased false/forged ID & Social Security card.
Write to the two US senators from your state, and the US representative in Congress for your district, detail facts, and demand they support stricter enforcement of identity protections and stricter prosecution of identity theft. AND tell them to support very strict enforcement of immigration laws with deportation or mandatory departure of all visa & immigration law violators. Up to 90% of identity theft is now perpetrated by illegal aliens.
They can't investigate the number to know whom it belongs to. The official government records of who has which number are not available to them until the person dies. All they can do is to check whether the number has already been used by someone else.