How to check if your child has a credit report

How do I check to see if my child has a credit report?

last reviewed: AUG 28, 2020

Contact any or all of the three nationwide credit reporting companies to request that they search their database for a credit report in your child’s name.

Tip

You have the option to request all three reports at once or to order one report at a time. By requesting the reports separately, you can monitor the credit report more frequently throughout the year.

Credit reports are not established at a certain age. Children may have a credit report because they are listed as authorized users or joint account holders on an adult's account, or any time a credit account is reported by a lender for that individual. Or your child may have a report because he or she is a victim of identity theft.

TransUnion

TransUnion has an online portal where parents or guardians can fill out and submit a Child Identity Theft Inquiry form. When you submit this form you will find out whether there is a credit report in your child's name. If there is, TransUnion will contact you for additional information. If you want a copy of the credit report, TransUnion might require you to separately request a copy of the report by mail.

Address

TransUnion LLC
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

Equifax

Equifax requires parents or guardians to send the following documents by mail:

• A letter explaining that the minor child may be a victim of identity theft
• A copy of the minor child's Social Security card or letter/form from the Social Security Administration
• A copy of the minor child's birth certificate
• A copy of your driver's license or other government-issued proof of identity that includes your current address

Address

Equifax Information Services
P.O. Box 105139
Atlanta, GA 30374

Experian

Experian requires parents or guardians to send the following documents by mail:

• A completed copy of a Minor Child Instructions form (you can find it on Experian's website )
• A copy of the minor child's Social Security card
• A copy of the minor child's birth certificate
• A list of the minor child's previous addresses for the past two years
• The minor child's full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc. and date of birth
• A copy of your driver's license or other government-issued identification card
• Proof of your address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, or insurance statement

Address

Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013

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How Do I Check My Child’s Credit Report? (And Why You Need To) – The Dough Roller

In all the little details of parenting, one thing you may not have had to ask is how do I check my child’s credit report? After all, why would you? They’ve never used a credit card before, right?

That may be true. But that doesn’t mean someone else hasn’t used your child’s credit.

You may think your child’s personal information — such as their Social Security number — is completely safe. But that might not actually be the case. Think about all the schools, doctors, and other organizations that ask for that information. Usually, these places keep your child’s information secure, but the worst can happen to even the safest organization.

And then there are potential issues for family members and close friends to use your child’s identity to open credit accounts. This is becoming more and more common. In fact, in 2012, one in 40 surveyed families with children under the age of 18 had at least one child with compromised personal information!

I don’t write all of this to scare you, but to help you watch for the warning signs of identity theft and to know how to deal with it.

The Problem of Child Identity Theft

We don’t often connect our kids and their credit in our heads. But the fact is that fraudulent activity can happen to anyone with a Social Security number. Thieves often create identities using a child’s authentic Social Security number paired with a different date of birth. This means that they can often get away with their crimes.

Identity theft may not immediately impact your child. After all, your five-year-old won’t be applying for a mortgage or even a student loan any time soon.

The problem is that because we don’t think much about our children’s credit files, this type of activity can go undetected for years. You may not know your child’s ID has been compromised until he applies for that first mortgage or car loan, only to be denied because he has bad credit.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can look for warning signs and prevent this type of fraudulent activity. Here’s how:

Related: LifeLock Review – Protecting Your Identity

As I already noted, this type of crime often goes undetected for a year or more because parents don’t have the occasion to check their children’s credit reports. But here are some warning signs the FTC says you should look for:

• Your child is turned down for government benefits because his or her Social Security number is already receiving those benefits.
• You get an IRS notice saying your child didn’t pay income taxes or that your child’s Social Security number was used on another return.
• You get collections calls or bills for a product or service you never used.

These are the reasons the FTC lists, but if you have another reason to think your child’s ID has been compromised, you might also take the following steps. This might include a family member explicitly asking for your child’s identity information in a way that makes you suspicious. Or it could include receiving notice from your insurance company, doctor’s office, or other entity that the identities they have on file may have been compromised.

What to Do First

Check to see if your child has a credit report. If your child’s ID has been used to open accounts fraudulently, they’ll have a credit report. If they don’t have a credit report, then you’re likely in the clear.

Unfortunately, most online credit report options require a driver’s license or some sort of state ID number to access your information. Since your child isn’t likely to have one of these, you won’t be able to access their information online.

Instead, you’ll have to manually contact each of the three credit reporting bureaus with your child’s Social Security card and birth certificate, as well as your government-issued ID and proof of address. You’ll have to submit the forms so that the credit reporting bureau can pull your child’s credit report — if one exists — manually.

If your child doesn’t have a credit report with any of the three reporting bureaus, that’s a good thing! That means your child probably hasn’t been the victim of identity theft.

There are some accounts that people could open fraudulently in your child’s name that wouldn’t be reported to their credit — such as cell phone or cable services — but these are less likely. Keep an eye out for those aforementioned bills and collections calls, though, just in case.

So, what if your child does have a credit report open showing fraudulent activity? Contact your local police department to file a report. Then contact the credit bureau showing this activity. They can flag your child’s credit report so that additional accounts cannot be opened.

How to Freeze Your Child’s Credit

Freezing a credit report simply makes it harder to take out credit on that report. It doesn’t make it impossible, but it does throw up a block for potential thieves.

Opinions differ on whether or not you should freeze your child’s credit report. This article from Experian suggests avoiding this, if possible. If your child has already been the victim of identity theft, you can protect your child’s identity without actually placing a freeze–which often costs money and isn’t allowed in all states.

Because of the complications, this article suggests only placing a freeze if your very young child is already a victim of identity theft.

Equifax, on the other hand, suggests placing a freeze if your child already has an open credit report. The article correctly points out that a freeze isn’t likely to affect anyone but a potential thief, since your child won’t actually need credit for a while.

This decision is really up to you. If you do find that your young child has a credit report open, you may decide to freeze the report. Look into your state’s laws and the costs of doing so when making your decision.

Learn More: Which Is More Effective: A Credit Freeze or Credit Monitoring?

What About Repairing the Credit?

If your child’s credit has already been abused, you may need to spend time cleaning up the problems. First, you’ll need to place a fraud alert on your child’s credit report. Then, you’ll need to file a report with the FTC and your local police department.

Next, you’ll need to contact businesses where accounts were opened in your child’s name. These businesses should work with you to remedy the accounts and remove them from your child’s credit report.

It’s important to make sure you work through these steps sooner rather than later. While you’re at it, be sure to record any phone calls that you have, and to send information in writing as well. Keep copies of the letters and the dates that you made calls or sent letters. That way you can reference what you’ve done so far if you have trouble getting businesses to close these accounts.

Resource: How to Correct an Error on Your Credit Report

Should You Pay for Credit Monitoring?

Most credit monitoring services focus on monitoring adults’ credits. However, some services offer protection for everyone in the household. If you’re truly concerned about ongoing problems with identity theft, these services may appeal to you.

Just make sure that you vet these services thoroughly before spending money on them. Look into what level of monitoring the services offer, and what services they offer to customers who have been victims of identity theft.

Preventing Identity Theft in the First Place

Ideally, you’ll never have to go through all of these steps to protect and clean up your child’s credit report. Because ideally, no one will misuse your child’s identity. But here’s how you can prevent these issues in the first place:

• Be aware of who has your child’s identity information. Any time you write down your child’s Social Security number for a form, keep track of who has that form. Make sure that the form is secure. Write down who has that information so that you can be on notice if that entity has a breach.
• Pay attention before giving out this information. Sometimes forms from schools or other entities will ask for this type of information. But the information may not be strictly necessary. Try to avoid writing down this information whenever possible.
• Open a 529 account. Sometimes family members will ask for your child’s Social Security number to open a savings account in your child’s name in your child’s name. Avoid this issue by opening a 529 account. Most online account management options let you send a link so that others can contribute to the account without using your child’s personal information.
• Reconsider adding your child as an authorized user. Adding your child as an authorized user to your credit card account seems like an easy way to give them access to funds in an emergency. But this action will open up a credit report for your child, opening them up to identity theft. Consider using a prepaid debit card as another option.
• Teach your kids about these issues. Finally, as your kids grow, talk to them about the importance of keeping their private information private. Consider keeping your child’s Social Security card where even they don’t have access, so that they can’t accidentally slip this information. And teach them the importance of protecting things like passwords to their online accounts early on.

Related: 5 Ways to Improve Your Credit Without Taking on Debt

Be sure to combine these steps with basic awareness of the warning signs of child identity theft. In doing so, you can avoid — or quickly remedy, if need be — this growing problem.

Have you (when you were younger) or your child fallen victim to identity theft? How did it affect you and how difficult was it to correct?

How to check your credit history for free and for a fee, how often can you ask if it is possible to challenge

Antonina Sergeeva

journalist

Author profile

Michel Korzhova

former bank employee

We continue to talk about credit history. In the first article, you learned why it is needed. Now it's time to figure out how to get it.

Credit history is kept by a credit bureau. It can be in one BCI, in several or in all at once. nine0003

As of June 24, 2021, there are eight BKIs in Russia. The largest are NBKI, Equifax, OKB and Russian Standard credit bureau.

Because each organization decides which bureau or bureaus to work with, different bureaus may have different information about you.

In which bureaus your credit history is stored, the Central Bank knows: for this, it maintains the Central Catalog of Credit Histories database. To find out where the credit history is, you need to make a request to the CCCH. nine0003

CCCH will respond with a list of organizations you can apply to for a history. When you find out which bureaus your credit history is in, you can get it from there.

Do not confuse CCCH with credit bureaus: at CCCH you can find out only in which bureaus credit history is stored. The credit history itself must be requested separately in each CBI in which it is stored.

In the article we will tell you how to make a request to the CCCH and get all your credit histories.

How to get a credit report: 9 key steps0029

1. Choose a method: get a credit history free of charge on your own or for a fee through intermediaries.
2. If you receive it with the help of the Central Bank, find out the “subject code”. If with the help of public services - confirm the account.
3. Request a list of credit bureaus where your CI is kept.
4. Verify identity. If you receive with the help of public services, then confirm your account.
5. Request the credit history itself.
6. Pick up or download it. nine0032

How to make a request to the Central Catalog

Through the public services portal. This is the easiest way to send a request to CCCH. At the same time, it is important that you have a verified account on the portal.

You can verify your account by contacting the MFC or through some banks: Tinkoff, Post-bank, Sberbank.

To get a list of BKIs, log in to your public services account and type "CCKI" in the search.

Through the website of the Central Bank. This method is the longest. With the advent of the opportunity to submit a request to the CCCH through public services, it is almost pointless to use it. But we will describe it so that you just know that there are other options to find out which bureaus store your credit history.

To get a list of credit institutions through the website of the Central Bank, you need to know your credit history subject code. This is a special code that is assigned to a person when he has a credit history. This code is needed only to make a request to the Central Bank of Ukraine through the website of the Central Bank. nine0003

You can generate a code when contacting any bank, MFO or CBI. It is also sometimes indicated in the loan agreement. If you have already taken loans, check your agreement with the bank.

Request to provide information about the BCI

You should receive a response from the CCCH within one working day. It will list the list of credit institutions that store your credit history.

Through the credit bureau. To do this, you need to contact any bureau and ask him to send a request to the CCCH. What is required of you will depend on the specific bureau: they will ask you to drive to the office or log in to the website through your public services account.

Sending a request to the Central Catalog of Credit Histories through BKI

Please note that charges may apply for this service. For example, in Equifax BCI it costs 295 RUR.

Through a bank or microfinance organization. Contact the credit institution along with your passport and ask to send a request to the CCCH.

Sending a request to the Central Catalog of Credit Histories

In my experience, the fastest way to get information is through public services.

How to find out your credit history

Once you have found out where your credit history is stored, you can get the credit report itself in two ways: by contacting the relevant credit bureaus directly or through intermediaries. nine0003

Twice a year you can request your credit report at each bureau free of charge.

Different credit institutions have different ways of submitting a credit report. The following options are available:

1. get a credit report on the bureau's website. To do this, you will need a confirmed entry on public services in order to register on the bureau's website. If there is no account, the bureau may ask you to drive to the office so that you can confirm your identity. This is the fastest way to get a credit report; nine0032
2. send a request to the bureau by e-mail. To do this, you will need to fill out an application and sign it with an electronic signature. A sample application will be on the bureau's website, each BCI has its own format;
3. available at the bureau office. To do this, you will need to contact the bureau along with your passport and fill out an application there;
4. send a certified telegram. In the telegram, you will need to indicate your passport details, as well as the postal address or email address to which you want to receive a credit report. Your handwritten signature must be certified by the postal operator; nine0032
5. send a notarized application to the address of the bureau.

Let's figure out how to get a credit history through the bureau's website, using Equifax as an example.

Step 1. Register on the bureau website. Since the bureau cannot show your credit history to everyone, you will be asked to verify your identity. This can be done using an account on public services or by visiting the office in person.

Step 2. Get a credit report. To get a credit history, in your personal account in the "Get a service" section, click "Get a credit report". It will be provided within 5-10 minutes.

You can also request a credit history through intermediaries. This will most likely be a paid service.

You can request a credit history from the OKB bureau at Sberbank-online. One such request will cost 580 R, there are no free options. In order not to overpay, it is better to request a credit history directly from the OKB: it will be just as fast in time, but you won’t have to pay. nine0003

What to do? 06/19/18

I want to correct a mistake in my credit history and not pay anything for it

Moreover, you can stumble upon scammers on the Internet who will provide false information or impose additional services.

How often can I request a credit report

Free credit report is provided twice a year in each credit bureau. All additional requests will be paid: about 400-600 R - depends on the specific bureau. nine0003

Here is a list of all active BKIs for June 2021:

1. Equifax.
2. OKB.
3. NBKI.
4. Russian Standard Credit Bureau.
5. VEBKI — Eastern European Credit Bureau.
6. Capital Credit Bureau.
7. MBKI "CREDO".
8. Krasnoyarsk bureau of credit histories.

What to do if you can't find your credit history

Your credit history can be stored in different credit bureaus. It depends on which bureaus the organization that transmits information to the BCI has cooperated with. nine0003

At the same time, it happens that a person cannot find out in which bureaus his credit history is stored. This happens if, for example, he has never taken loans, made a mistake when making a request to the CCCH, or loans were taken on another identity document.

What to do? 06/28/18

My credit history is nowhere to be found

First, check what passport details were in your request to the CCCH. It is possible that incorrect information was pulled up there. In this case, it will be enough to send a new request with correct information. nine0003

If you took loans for one document, and then closed the loan and received a new passport, then to find out where your credit history is stored, make a request to the CCCH based on your old passport data. In this case, the request will be formed correctly.

If you have never applied for loans, you will have a credit history when you submit your first application.

How to dispute a credit report

You can dispute a credit report only if there are indeed errors. For example, the credit history indicates extra loans or information is shown that the loan has not been repaid, although you closed it a long time ago. If there really was a delay on the loan, it will not be possible to remove this information from the credit history. nine0003

You can dispute part of your credit history — for example, information on a specific loan, and the whole thing — for example, if your credit report shows information about another person. It's free.

If someone offers to fix your credit history for money, most likely they are scammers.

/mistake/

How to correct errors in your credit history

There are two ways to correct errors in your credit history: contact the organization that provided incorrect information directly, or write an application to the BKI. nine0003

Contact the company directly. Banks, collection agencies, housing and communal service providers and some pawnshops provide information to credit bureaus.

You can contact the company that provided incorrect data directly. Specify in what form they accept such applications: some organizations will need a telephone conversation, others may ask to send a written application. In the second case, you will need to indicate in which bureau the error was detected and what it consists of. nine0003

It is better to write right away so that the bank submits correct information to all CBIs to which it previously transferred information about you.

Contact BKI. On the website of each BCI you will find the procedure for challenging a credit history. For example, the NBKI asks you to fill out an application and send it to the office of the bureau. To report errors to Equifax, it is proposed to send the application to the Bureau's e-mail.

Attach a debt repayment certificate or other supporting information. nine0003

From the moment of receipt of the application, the BCI is obliged to investigate the situation within 30 days and provide you with an answer. If the information about the error is confirmed, the credit history will be corrected within 10 days.

It is better to contact both the bank and the bureau at the same time. If the bank takes a long time to correct the error, the BCI will in any case sort it out within a month and correct the information.

/oshibka-v-ki/

How I fixed a mistake in my credit history

So, we have told you how to find out your credit history. In the next article, you will learn more about finding errors and forgotten delinquencies in credit histories. nine0003

Remember

1. Credit history is the borrower's record. How it looks and why it is needed, read in the first article.
2. Credit history is kept by a credit bureau. There are eight bureaus in Russia. Your credit history can be in all at once, in some or only in one.
3. The fastest way to find out where your credit history is stored is through the public services portal.
4. Credit history is provided free of charge twice a year at each bureau where it is kept. All additional requests are subject to a charge. nine0032
5. If you want to check your history often and not overpay, then do it yourself. To do this, get a list of your BCIs through the Central Bank or public services and contact the bureau directly.

National Bureau of Credit History - A large database of credit histories online on the official website of the NBCH

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Service to protect against fraudsters

Annual subscription to SMS notifications about the appearance in the credit history:

• new loan applications
• new loans
• changed passport data.

If your passport details, loan or application is not yours, you can quickly respond to the changes by contacting credit bureaus, banks or the police.

Connect for 750 ₽ Read more

National Bureau of Credit Histories

NBKI is the largest credit bureau in the Russian Federation, the best team of specialists. nine0003

Since February 21, 2006, the NBKI has been included in the state register of credit bureaus under the number 077-00003-002 and has a license from the Federal Service for Technical and Expert Control for the technical protection of confidential information.

We collect, store and make available credit records summarized in credit histories. Credit histories help to correctly assess the reliability of borrowers. Based on our data, banks offer loans on more attractive terms. nine0003

As a result, conscientious borrowers get the opportunity not to overpay for loans.

NBKI JSC is included in the state register of credit bureaus (Central Bank of the Russian Federation) under the number 077-00003-002

Our partners

Our partners

NBKI Online

Log in to the NBKI mobile application to find out your Personal Credit Rating and Credit history

Scan to download NBKI Online to your phone

Reviews of our clients

Here you can find out your credit history and your personal rating, by which banks evaluate you when issuing a loan. Authorization is simple, reports are loaded in less than a minute. I am going to take a car loan, now I have confidence that they will not refuse.

I found out about the NBKI when I was practically in despair - no credit was given anywhere, but I really needed it. Banks that refuse give very unintelligible answers, and those that offer gigantic interest are even worse. My NBKI rating turned out to be 403 - everything is clear.

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