The Big Three---Addresses---Law And Politics---Check Verifiers---Scoring Firms---Debt Counselors
What used to be called TRW (The Reports Wrong) was swallowed by the British conglomerate Great Universal Stores PLC. One of the first actions our British masters took was to revoke TRWs free annual credit report. Experian is aggressively collecting information about you from your internet and debit card usage. If you want to order a report online, pull on your hip boots and click here.
TransUnion has recently made real efforts to be friendlier to it's Victims. They were the first to disclose credit scores to consumers and made life alot easier for all of us. And while the other bureaus strive to delay complying with the Fair Credit Reporting Act as long as possible, TransUnion offers convenient phone ordering if you have been denied credit. . TransUnion has had their problems with lawsuits. This privately owned firm used to concentrate on the east coast, but is now showing up nationwide. If you want to order a report online, just go to the link above.
If you want to write, read the rest of this page then click here for PIRGS list of street addresses. Ignore the bad advice about reporting fraud to credit bureaus.
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Victims Resources include Chexvictims and Getting around ChexSystems
People can go on with their happy little lives because they just don't know. - Tommy Lee Jones in Men In Black.
If you want to catch errors on your medical records don't bother asking MIB. They claim they don't have your medical records -- only "codes" with your name attached. Until recently they actually bragged about taking time to delete errors from YOUR report so you couldn't see what erroneous info they sell to insurance companies! MIB does have a very useful web site with interesting insights into the insurance industries alien point of view.
December 2000 update Clinton mandates jail time for medical records misuse Outgoing President Clinton created sweeping new rules prohibiting credit bureaus and others from using your medical information for non-medical uses. Privacy advocates are waiting to see how President-elect Bush will handle this long overdue reform.
There is no shame in asking for help getting out of debt, but make sure you don't do more harm than good. In 2004 we are hearing many stories of problems with this industry. We do not endorse any particular one, but a couple of the better known counseling firms that we know of are:
Be aware that most "credit counselors" are financed by financial institutions who do not believe in the constitutional process of bankruptcy. Also be aware that you and your spouse may have a hidden code 7 (sought debt counseling) alert placed in your report just by inquiring, but if you are in over your head it is worth considering. 
Assume that anything you tell credit bureaus, bill collectors or counseling services (to a lesser degree) will end up in the hands of your worst enemy. When dealing with credit bureaus and collectors never give a drivers license number and avoid giving other unnecessary details like your employer, telephone numbers, or previous addresses. They can and do use such details to hurt you and it is illegal to use credit inquiries as "fishing expeditions" to build up files. This is the main reason they won't handle disputes by email. They found the report that was used to reject you with only a name, birthday and social security number, so they can find it for you with the same information. If you want to see the same credit report your lender saw, give the agency no more info than you gave the lender. New laws require a free report if you are unemployed or on welfare, but we don't recommend using this option. Bureaus will add your name to other lists you know nothing about that lumps you in with street alcoholics and disgraced politicians.
Anything you tell a credit bureau will likely end up in all of their databases (not just credit reports) and sold to bill collectors, marketers, employers, insurance companies, martian invaders, competitors, etc. Remember, to them you are not a customer. You are nothing more than an object in an inventory. Think of a credit bureau as sort of a grocery store tabloid who wants to interview you. It is dirt their customers want and scandal is their real stock in trade.
Do not rely on the Fair Credit Reporting Act to protect you, even with the recent industry sanctioned "improvements". It really is quite worthless for anything other than getting a copy of your report, and bureaus routinely just ignore it altogether. When you apply for a job paying over $75,000, try to finance a home over $150,000, or get "checked out" by law enforcement, all the items you thought were deleted can, and often do, legally return forever, and without warning. Any item deleted for no response can reappear (with notice) any time within 7 years (10 years for a bankruptcy), and there are numerous ways that deleted items still affect you, your relatives, and your neighbors credit score. On the positive side most bureaus just use 7 years from the date of first delinquency (no longer the date of last activity as required by 1997 changes to the FCRA).
All deleted items can still be reported if the request is related to business rather than consumer services (although none of the big three appear to use this option). Remember that the FCRA only covers a very narrow scope of information and scoring systems use many sources that are not revealed or covered. Few of the so called "credit experts" realize that in reality, nothing just goes away. It isn't right, but that is the way the money folks want it so BE CAREFUL.
The Big Three---Addresses---Law And Politics---Check Verifiers---Scoring Firms---Debt Counselors