I added an AU but have a question

[Anonymous]

Okay, I added my DW to my visa card yesterday as an AU. All they asked for was her name. Now we have a super common last name, so how am I sure it will be on her report when they did not ask for a SS#?  Do they magically know what her number is, or will they put the card on any "Mrs. Jane Doe" and hope it is correct?

[Creditaddict]

I'm not sure how they do it, but it does always seem to end up in the right place. I use to think it had to do with addresses, but I have added friends in other states, and it still gets added correctly!

[Anonymous]

That is just creepy... I mean really creepy! 

[haulingthescoreup]

The guess is that they do this by seeing that her address matches yours. But I'm amazed at those who put on friends and relatives with different addresses. How do they pull that off?

But it's true. When I went AU on my husband's Discover, they never once asked, but there it was several weeks later on my reports.

[CreditAble]

---

@Anonymous wrote:
Okay, I added my DW to my visa card yesterday as an AU. All they asked for was her name. Now we have a super common last name, so how am I sure it will be on her report when they did not ask for a SS#?  Do they magically know what her number is, or will they put the card on any "Mrs. Jane Doe" and hope it is correct?

---

Many people think that our credit files are located by our SS #s. The way the correct consumer file is located by a creditor is by using multiple "identifiers:"

The Social Security Number is only one "identifier" that is used. It is not however the "primary" identifier that is used. Actually the primary identifier is address. Since we assume that you and your DW share the same address, her file will be immediately located by address. No SS# is necessary since the number is usually only used as a "secondary"  identifier.

Since address is so important to "identify" a consumer, I believe that that is one reason Experian is notorious for not wanting to remove prior addresses tied to tradelines.

[CreditAble]

---

@haulingthescoreup wrote:
The guess is that they do this by seeing that her address matches yours. But I'm amazed at those who put on friends and relatives with different addresses. How do they pull that off?

---

There are large data bases of names and addresses which are cross linked by relationships.  I have always maintained that the core business objective of credit bureaus is to facilitate creditors collecting funds due. Credit files and scores are only part of the services. Credit Scoring is used to minimize a creditors risk and increase the likelihood of getting paid by any given consumer. The address databases increase the likelihood of locating any deadbeats after they default and get evicted from their place of residence.

Credit bureaus have many services including those which facilitate skip tracing. Locating the "whereabouts" of a deadbeat hiding out with his Grandma is fairly easy. From the moment we apply for our first tradeline, the system is adding data that will aid in the collection of any debts delinquent or otherwise that we will incur in the future.

[Anonymous]

---

@haulingthescoreup wrote:
The guess is that they do this by seeing that her address matches yours. But I'm amazed at those who put on friends and relatives with different addresses. How do they pull that off?

But it's true. When I went AU on my husband's Discover, they never once asked, but there it was several weeks later on my reports.

---

Yes, but what if it doesn't... what I mean is, according to her credit reports, she still lives at her old address... this is the first thing we have done with her new last name, and with her at our new apartment. So, once again, how do they know who I married? Say my wife's name was Jane Doe, and now her name is Jane Smith... and I put Jane Smith on the AU list, do you know how many Jane's there are in the world, probably a lot, so how do they "know" they have the right person, how do they know which Jane Doe I married?

I mean seriously, if I put down Forrest Gump as an AU, and they send me the card, who do they report on?

[Anonymous]

The linkages they make are interesting. I added a close friend as an AU on BofA in March (yes, insert all warnings and such here; I know all of the risks and went into them knowingly). I'm in OR; he's in CA. For that card, I gave his SSN to make sure it would reflect on him, not on his dad w/the same unusual name.

Two months later, Discover told me I needed More. Seemed like a good idea, so I applied, and checked the box saying I'd like to give a card to another user. They asked me to call to verify information, and when I did, said "Now, did you want to add [AU's name] as a cardholder on your account?" 

Both cards show up on his credit report now. We'd planned to spin him off within a couple of months and get his own cards now that he's got a little bit of a record, but will probably delay that, given the credit mess. 

[score_building]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

The linkages they make are interesting. I added a close friend as an AU on BofA in March (yes, insert all warnings and such here; I know all of the risks and went into them knowingly). I'm in OR; he's in CA. For that card, I gave his SSN to make sure it would reflect on him, not on his dad w/the same unusual name.

Two months later, Discover told me I needed More. Seemed like a good idea, so I applied, and checked the box saying I'd like to give a card to another user. They asked me to call to verify information, and when I did, said "Now, did you want to add [AU's name] as a cardholder on your account?" 

Both cards show up on his credit report now. We'd planned to spin him off within a couple of months and get his own cards now that he's got a little bit of a record, but will probably delay that, given the credit mess. 

---

honestly that may also be a reason to get him set-up now, since things could get worse b4 they get better.  right now many here with records ranging from decent to stellar are still apping successfully and/or building on current accts. and obtaining favorable terms.  it could also be a good time for you to limit your exposure.  in any case, you've given a wonderful gift, the gift of a spring board or 2 for excellent credit!!

[Anonymous]

---

@score_building wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

...

Both cards show up on his credit report now. We'd planned to spin him off within a couple of months and get his own cards now that he's got a little bit of a record, but will probably delay that, given the credit mess. 

---

honestly that may also be a reason to get him set-up now, since things could get worse b4 they get better.  right now many here with records ranging from decent to stellar are still apping successfully and/or building on current accts. and obtaining favorable terms.  it could also be a good time for you to limit your exposure.  in any case, you've given a wonderful gift, the gift of a spring board or 2 for excellent credit!!

---

Good point, and one well worth checking into. For awhile he was getting 2-3 offers/week at my address - WAMU was particularly persistent - which I sent on down to him. He shredded them all. I'm not the slightest bit worried about my exposure; he's essentially my little brother & I'm helping out while he's in grad school so he doesn't have to try to deal with getting a job right now. He's a time-limited line item in my budget, and runs way under expected costs as it is.

The offers dried up a couple months ago, so I assumed his very short history (and WAMU's own issues) were causing him to be perceived as too high of a risk. Maybe after the first of the year he can run his scores - he didn't have them before - and see if he can get a card on his own as well. He'll still be AU on my cards until he's out of school, though.