Fraud Alert prevents me from monitoring my credit file?

[Anonymous]

I experienced an identity theft 2005 went through the hoops and circles and filed a police report requesting a 7 year Fraud Alert.  I've been able to monitor my credit files with a 3 bureau monitoring service until just recently.  Only Experian reports on the monitoring service but Equifax and TransUnion don't.  I can't even buy a FICO score for Equifax.

Both Equifax and TransUnion say financial reforms cause non published consumer data with fraud alert.  What good is a Fraud Alert if it now blocks the consumer from monitoring activities on their credit bureau files?  I'm now removing the Fraud Alert and feel that trying to protect myself prevents me from monitoring myself.

Any suggestions?  I really don't want to remove the fraud alert if I don't have to...

[RobertEG]

Yes, when you place an extended, 7-year fraud alert in your credit file, it does place restrictions on reporting and access,  But none of the provisions of an extended fraud alert block your personal access.  They basically require your personal approval before the restricted items can be reported or accessed.

If you provide the CRA, in any access requested, with proof of your identity, then the fraud alert should not restrict your access.

[Anonymous]

Theoretically... reality is the identity validation doesn't work, even with myfico products.  It ends up that you must either cancel monitoring and forego Fraud Alert benefits or maintain Fraud Alert and forego monitoring alerts.  I've already discussed this with myfico customer service as well as other monitoring services.  Best I could do is order credit report via phone and validate identity..Nothing more - no monitoring alerts work with Fraud Alert on file. 

So much for regulation...as always it inhibits or causes gross inconvenience to honest people and really does little to thwart identity theft or fraudulent collection agency reporting.  Sorry for my cynicism, but this credit reporting/score thing is the biggest ponzy scheme ever...it only creates an unending revenue stream for those in the credit info business!

[RobertEG]

When you place an extended fraud alert in your credit file, is says that you requrie personal approval before granting CRA approval for otherwise normal transactions,

Identity theft alerts are issued without prior notice, and thus without your prior approval.  You cant have it both ways,,,,,

Fraud/Identity theft alerts are only issued at the request of a consumer, and if the consumer does not like the restrictions they have asked to be placed on their credit file, they can rescind them with a simple notice to the CRA. 

[randaljon]

I tried to access my Equifax FICO score today and it gave me error message 710. Anyone else ever see this? I wrote Equifax recently to delete a fraud alert I had placed. Could this be it? I never had a problem like this before, even when a fraud alert was placed on my file. I also cannot access my report on the Equifax site too.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, but respectfully, the view is a little different on the sidelines than when you're actually in the game.  It is as I stated.

[Anonymous]

Credit Bureaus are treating fraud alerts with nearly the same approach to freezes.  The only difference is that you can contact the credit bureau and request a report with a fraud alert, but if you have placed a freeze on your account, you must pay the bureau to lift the freeze to allow YOU to get the report and then pay them another fee should you not act within the 72 hrs.  There also is the issue of offshore people working as customer service reps for each of the three credit bureaus and I believe they are confused with the difference.  Because of this I deal specifically with the fraud units of the bureaus and actually have a fraud number with each of them to ensure that foreign nationals don't freeze when I only want an alert.  And because the new financial report consumer office is providing oversight to consumer data breaches with credit bureaus, the bureaus have adopted stringent guidelines and rules with fraud alerts - which is why monitoring alerts are not available REGARDLESS of who you subscribe to.  In your case, I would bet the service rep you dealt with checked the wrong box.  Now the only way to remove is to write formal certified RRR letter and the processing will take 7-10 days.

I'm in the middle of this crap right now and it really pisses me off that the consumer is the one to jump through hoops and circles, but the bureaus are slackers when it comes to publishing inaccurate and false info to your credit file, process disputes offshore using scoring models that results in their casual inquiry to submitter of derrogatory "is this the info you sent" ultimately with the response "verified". Experian and Equifax both verified 2 ID theft collections for cell phone accounts one for $175 and another for $177 and both had same partial account number and NO cell number associated with it.  After 3.5 months,  I finally had to resort to writing Attorney Generals to get the matter resolved.  So much for consumer protection!

Like it or not folks, we're on our own with this credit reporting/score crap!

[randaljon]

Agreed. I sent Experian information I received directly from original creditor to correct the reporting. Experian just verifiied the old incorrect information again. I have no idea who they verified it with. Seems like you have to pay an attorney to get their attention.

[Anonymous]

After paying nearly $18,000 to an attorney to clean up an incredible mess with ID theft back in 2005, I learned from that experience and employed the same approach this time myself.  I sent Willful Noncompliance Demand complaints to attorney generals for my resident state, original creditors, Equifax and Experian as well as FTC and included  FCRA §623 demand letters,   FACT Act §312 FDCPA demand letters , 15 USC 1692g §809(a)(b) Notices , evidence of Cert Mail RRR, cited no response, and included the "verified" response from Equifax and Experian.

If this is consumer protection, God help us!  Good luck...

[Anonymous]

I am now about to mail Cert Mail - RRR to each of the three bureaus my formal request to remove 7-yr Fraud Alert and instead am requesting the following personal statement to be added to my file:

“I’m forced to remove 7 yr Fraud Alert - it prevents my credit data from being available to monthly monitoring services enabling me to check against potential fraudulent activities.”

Also I'm required to send photo of my state Drivers License and photo of social security card along with written request...let's hope the mail doesn't get mis-delivered.  If this isn't  a crock - what is?   I think it's time we all revolt and refuse to play the credit reporting game.  Washington isn't going to protect us and the credit info industry continues to flourish with ridiculous consumr requirements.