Your name. Your information. You’re making other companies money. You probably know about your credit report, but did you know there are reports that track your insurance, rental, and medical history? Find out how to see these free consumer reports.
Your personal data is sold
Companies make big money off your data. Your medical history, prescriptions, and insurance claims. How can a company make money off your personal information? There is a good reason. Your data is valuable because it helps companies make decisions about you. Businesses use the data to decide if they should rent you an apartment, sell you insurance, or offer you a loan.
Mistakes are common in the consumer reporting industry. For example, 1 in 5 credit reports has a mistake. It’s frustrating, but reality. That’s why you need to check these reports before a mistake impacts your insurance rate, ability to rent an apartment, or get a mortgage.
There are ten reports you can request for free each year. Your data is a big industry, but one that’s rarely talked about. That’s why I’m showing you how to find out what companies know about you.
Some of these reports can be requested online, on the phone, or in the mail. You typically need to provide personal information like your license or a piece of mail to verify you are who you say you are. Read the fine print carefully to make sure you provide the proper information.
1. FULL DISCLOSURE REPORT
If you are going to get just one of these reports, get the full disclosure report. You don’t want to miss this one. It includes public information that’s out there about you, and pulls from other consumer files that you then won’t have to request separately.
The full disclosure report contains information on insurance claims, current insurance carrier, employment information, criminal records, personal credit information, and whether you’ve ever been evicted. While it sounds like a lot of reports, it’s an easy file to browse.
All these reports come with a tutorial on how to read the report and dispute wrong information.
To request a Full Disclosure report:
You need to fill out a Lexis Nexis Full disclosure form and include documents that identify who you are and paperwork that verifies your mailing address. If you have questions, check out the company’s Lexis Nexis Full Disclosure FAQ.
Mail the completed form and supporting documents to:
LexisNexis Consumer Center
Attn: Full File Disclosure
P.O. Box 105108
Atlanta, GA 30348-5108
[email protected]
2. PERSON REPORT
Public and private records are compiled into one report called an Accurint “Person Report” provided by LexisNexis.
The report lists variations of your name, previous addresses, criminal history, FAA certification, FAA aircrafts, sexual offenses, and possible associates to name a few categories.
To request a Person Report:
You need to fill out an online form and include additional paperwork verifying your social security number, name, and current address. You need to mail the completed form along with accepted documents.
Accurint Consumer Inquiry Department
P.O. Box 105610
Atlanta, GA 30348-5610
It may take 30 to 60 days to get this report that compiles public and non-public information.
One note: Since it’s not a consumer reporting agency, the data in your report can’t be used to deny you credit, employment, or make tenant and housing decisions. So if you find information that’s incorrect in this report, it may not cost you money like some of these other reports.
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3. TENANT REPORT
There are 2 major rental and tenant history reports that you’ll want to review. There may be others. This is a specialty market, so there are lots of agencies that compile this information for landlords.
CoreLogic SafeRent provides information on your rental history, sex offender status, and if you have court records on file. It provides this information to third parties to screen tenants and employees.
You can also call the company at 1-888-333-2413 or get the CoreLogic SafeRent Tenant Report online.
Mail the completed form to:
Mail: CoreLogic SafeRent, Consumer Relations Department
P.O Box 509124
San Diego, CA 92150
4. EMPLOYMENT REPORT
If you’ve applied for a job recently, you were probably asked for consent to obtain a report about you. It’s a screening mechanism to figure out if a candidate is a good hire.
There is controversy in this type of reporting. Some consumer advocates believe your employer should tell you the company they use to screen you, but this only happens in California.
First Advantage Employment check may or may not have a report on you. It depends on if one of their clients is one of the company’s you once worked or employed to for a job.
The Work Number is a popular database used by 75% of the Fortune 500 companies use it to verify employment and income data. Lenders, credit agencies, apartment managers, and social service agencies may also pull the information form The Work Number to verify your employment history.
You can request the Work Number report online, on the phone at 1-866-222-5880.
5. MEDICAL REPORT
These reports are not available for everyone. You’ll only see this report if you’ve disclosed this information as part of an application for individually underwritten life, health, or disability income insurance during the previous seven years AND if that company uses these databases.
The Medical Information Bureau (MIB) and FTC came to an agreement in 1995 to offer consumers information.The data collected is used by life and health insurance companies to verify information about you during the underwriting process for life, health, disability, and long term care insurance policies.
The report can contain medical information, drug use, criminal activity, driving record, genetic history, and if you participate in a dangerous sport.
Fill out the online form from MIB to obtain your medical report or call 1-866-692-6901
6. PRESCRIPTION HISTORY REPORT
Just like the medical report, some consumers will have a prescription report and others will not.
Many people didn’t even know these prescription history reports were available until 2007 when the Federal Trade Commission sued the owner of IntelliScript and MedPoint databases. These reports contain prescription history reports on insurance policy applicants. The patient or applicant gives consent to release the information for the last five years of prescription drug purchases.
“Consumer reporting companies sell information that can play a critical role in the price consumers pay for a variety of products and services – or even whether they’re eligible for them,” FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau Director Lydia Parnes said at the time. “These cases make clear that all consumer reporting companies must comply with the laws that protect consumers’ rights.” Now, these reports are open to the public once a year for free.
You can request your Milliman IntelliScript prescription history report on the phone (1-877-211-4816) or by email ([email protected]). You must provide your full name, mailing address, email address if you want the report emailed, phone number, date of birth, last four digits of your Social Security number, and insurance company which you applied to for insurance.
There will only be a report if you authorized the release of your medical records to an insurance company, and that business then requested the report. This might happen if you’re applying for private health or life insurance.
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7. INSURANCE CLAIM REPORT
When a company decides whether to insure you or not, you’re often asked about previous claims. To verify whether you’re telling the truth or not, there are companies that compile this information for verification purposes.
There is a C.L.U.E. report or Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange from LexisNexis which reports claims on property and auto insurance policies. The report covers seven years of losses and includes the amount of the claim. Click on the link above for the form or call 1-866-312-8076.
The A-Plus report is the Automobile Property Loss Underwriting System by Versik Analytics. You can request your report by calling 1-800-627-3487.
You don’t need to order this C.L.U.E. report if you got the Full Disclosure report. It’s duplicate information because the same company provides the information.
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8. CHECK WRITING REPORT
Just like the tenant history report, there are many specialty agencies providing information on your check writing history. This is typically the system a business runs your check through when you write a check for a purchase.
ChexSystems maintains information from banks and credit unions on your check writing history. You can fill out an online survey and application. There is no need to print a form. However, you can mail in a form if you prefer that method of contact.
You can mail the form to:
ChexSystems, Inc
Attn: Consumer Relations
7805 Hudson Rd, Suite 100
Woodbury, MN 55125
The Shared Check Authorization Network or SCAN from Certegy is a database of bad check writers. You can request a report by calling 1-866-740-3276.
TeleCheck requires you provide personal information like your bank number and social security number to get your file. You need to send a request with your daytime phone number, a copy of your driver’s license, social security number, a voided check, and a copy of your tax or utility bill showing your current address.
You can mail the request to:
TeleCheck Services, Inc.
Attention: Consumer Resolutions-FA
P.O. Box 4514
Houston, TX 77210-4514
You have to mail the information.
9. SHOPPING HISTORY
When you return items, retailers are increasingly asking you for your license even if you have a receipt. That’s because retailers are tracking returns to cut down on return fraud.
The Retail Equation is used by retailers like Toys “R” Us and Home Depot to track fraud. You can get your report from The Retail Equation by emailing ([email protected]) or calling 1-800-652-2331.
Include your name and phone number in your message. You may be asked for your return transaction ID number which is on your receipt.
10. CREDIT REPORT
Your credit report is the report we all know about thanks to Annual Credit Report. Make sure you don’t click on Freecreditreport.com because that will cost you money.
Make sure you check this report at least once a year, because 1 in 5 reports contains a mistake. Annual Credit Report will not give you your credit score. Click here to find out how to get a free credit score.
TIP: While you can check your report once a year for free, there are three agencies or credit bureaus offering the reports. To keep an eye on your credit year round, check one of the three agency’s reports every three months. Example: Check Experian’s report via Annual Credit Report in January, check TransUnion’s in May, and Check Equifax in September.
Data is a big business. There are many more reports that may contain personal information on you. I highlighted the major ones. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau puts together a comprehensive list of consumer reporting agencies.
How i best go about defense of a unlawful landlord, if other than standard law enforcement, and when the point they best be contacted falls, any specific board or entity i will alert i am needing the contact, tel.number etc., information. My inquiry here is regarding consumer/tennant advisory, i have an issue where i am aware the landlord is breaking civil rights standards accorfing to tennant landlord code here(Missouri) and request upon this whether a specific party handles this feild or if a general police reporting is the most effective protective first step for me.
Mike, Thanks for your comment. If the issue is over money or repairs, and it’s only a few thousand dollars you can try small claims court. You don’t need a lawyer, but there is a cap on the amount you can recover. Most civil cases are handled independently in court unless you feel it’s a police matter which then you should file a police report. Hope this helps. Thanks.
Hello Jenn, thank you for all this useful information. Am I right in understanding that if you I were to request the Full Disclosure Report (#1)–you’re also implicitly getting Person Report (#2), Employment Report (#4), Insurance Claim Report (#8), and Credit Report(#10)? Thank you.
Glad you found it useful. Check with the company to make sure that’s still the case. The offering sometimes change, but yes typically the full one has everything. Good luck!
Is there a certain length of time that negative items can be reported on these? Specifically the tenant reports and rental history?
Seven years is the typical credit reporting timeframe for negative reports but check with the agency. You can typically add a comment to your credit report as well so you can add your side of the story including the circumstances around the event. It’s unlikely to do much but may help.