# how to order a credit report?



## bluechip (Mar 21, 2011)

Hi,

Can anyone tell me if it's possible to order a credit report for the time I was in the US in the past? That is, I no longer have a US address and I'm not a US citizen, although I have a SS number. 

I went to the main credit report sites (Experia, etc) and the first thing they ask is for your **current** US address. Same with annualcreditreport.com. What if you don't have one?

Then the other thing I didn't understand is that the credit report companies don't offer for you to buy a mere report, they want you to become a "member" (rip-off!) for an annual subscription or such period. 

Is it not possible to simply order one credit report only and not become a member of anything? 

And then, they want you to register first (give them all your information) to then tell you how much the subscription will cost! (unbelievable)

TIA


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

You can try annualcreditreport.com, the official, U.S. federal government-sanctioned Web site for obtaining free credit reports from all three major U.S. credit bureaus once per year. Use your last U.S. address, and see if that works.

If that doesn't work, you can try Credit Karma, again using your last U.S. address. That's a private, commercial site, but you can get your credit report from one of the major bureaus free of charge (along with a credit score). Of course Credit Karma tries to sell other services, but the free offering is legitimate.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Just one caveat in using your old US address - they sometimes will only send the credit report to that address, which really doesn't help if you aren't there to receive it. 

I gave up years ago on trying to get a copy of my credit record through one of the online services. Perhaps they have changed their criteria in the last several years, but the system really is set up to report only on current US residents. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## ForeignBody (Oct 20, 2011)

Bevdeforges said:


> Just one caveat in using your old US address - they sometimes will only send the credit report to that address, which really doesn't help if you aren't there to receive it.
> 
> I gave up years ago on trying to get a copy of my credit record through one of the online services. Perhaps they have changed their criteria in the last several years, but the system really is set up to report only on current US residents.
> Cheers,
> Bev


Both Credit Karma and reports via annualcreditreport. com are supplied on-line.


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## bluechip (Mar 21, 2011)

Hi, thanks for all the answers. Just tried www.annualcreditreport.com

First, this is what Experia posted:

Internet Delivery Unavailable - Mail-in Request

We're sorry, for your protection we are unable to deliver an Equifax Free Annual Credit Report over the Internet.


Request by Mail

To request your Free Equifax Credit File by mail, please fill out the attached form (PDF file), along with the documents described below and mail them to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service

P.O. Box 740240

Atlanta, GA 30348-0241

Please include with the attached form a copy of one item in EACH of the categories below in order to enable us to verify your identification and address. The item you submit from the "Identity" category MUST contain your Social Security Number and the item you submit from the "Address" category MUST contain your current home mailing address.

Identity

Social Security card

Pay stub with Social Security Number

W2 form

Address

Driver's license

Rental or lease agreement/house deed

Pay stub with address

Utility bill (gas, electric, water, cable, residential telephone bills)

To ensure that your request is processed without delay, please enlarge photocopies of any items that contain small print (i.e. driver's license, W2 forms). To avoid additional delays, keep in mind that if photocopies you submit are not legible or contain highlighting, we may ask that you resubmit your request with more legible documents. 
============

Experian:

We were unable to honor your request. If you entered your credit card information, we did not charge you.
Sending us your information
To receive your personal credit report by mail, please mail us this letter (or the information in it), along with one copy of a government issued identification card, such as a driver’s license, state ID card, military ID card, etc., and one copy of a utility bill, bank or insurance statement, etc. Make sure that each copy is legible, displays your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue (statement dates must be recent). We are unable to accept credit card statements, voided checks, lease agreements, magazine subscriptions or postal service forwarding orders as proof. To protect your personal identification information, Experian does not return correspondence sent to us. Send copies of any documents you wish to provide to us and always retain your original documents.
If you are purchasing your credit report, enclose your check or money order for $5.30.
If you wish to purchase your VantageScore® report provided by Experian, enclose your check or money order for $8.43 (includes state sales tax where applicable). VantageScore is owned by VantageScore Solutions, LLC.
Mail this form, along with payment (if applicable) to:
Experian
PO Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
[ ] Check here for overnight delivery and include an additional $20 overnight processing fee. [ ] Check here to authorize delivery of overnight package without obtaining signature.
Your identification information
bla bla	



Report number: N/A

I am requesting:
[ ] Free credit report due to declination or adverse action (enclose a copy of the letter you received notifying you of that adverse action).
[ ] Free annual credit report.
[ ] Free credit report based on my state’s law.
[ ] To purchase my credit report.
[ ] To obtain my free report with my promotional code: (enter code).
[ ] Other (please explain)

[ ] Check here if you are blind or visually impaired within the meaning of the Americans with Disabilities Act and can provide proof upon request, indicating that you are eligible to receive your credit report or score report in an alternate format such as Braille, Large Print or Audio CD.
[ ] Braille	[ ] Large Print	[ ] Audio CD

Write any comments below
====================

TransUnion


We are unable to confirm your identity

What happened:

The Identity Security System confirms your identity through a series of questions based on accounts and personal information contained in your Personal Credit Report. The system was unable to get enough information from the Personal Credit Report to complete this process.

What to do:

To request your Personal Credit Report by phone, please call (877) 322-8228.

Alternately, to request your Personal Credit Report by mail, return to annualcreditreport.com to download the request form.

================
Finally, back to the gov site, I got the message:

Congratulations!

You've taken an important step toward being in control of your credit history. Reviewing your credit reports regularly also helps protect you from identity theft.
What's next?

=======

At least their intentions were good...


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

You are using a non-US IP?


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I haven't tried recently, but the last time I tried to get a credit report from the US, it was clear that they will not send these things outside the US.

I assume they have their websites set up to exclude all requests from non-US ip addresses. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Or did you flunk the identity test questions? The system asks a few questions only the individual is likely to know.

You can now follow the postal/manual process if you wish.


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## bluechip (Mar 21, 2011)

Yeah, I didn't put a US IP, but I think that wouldn't have solved it in my case. Anyways, too late now...


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## bluechip (Mar 21, 2011)

*no questions*



BBCWatcher said:


> Or did you flunk the identity test questions? The system asks a few questions only the individual is likely to know.
> 
> You can now follow the postal/manual process if you wish.


they didn't even get to the questions. I think it may be that my info is a bit old, so who knows where it appears in terms of all the places they are supposed to check.

Can an accountant ask to get a report on one of their clients?


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Unless that accountant has power of attorney, no.

You've got the manual/postal process available to you.


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## bluechip (Mar 21, 2011)

BBCWatcher said:


> Unless that accountant has power of attorney, no.
> 
> You've got the manual/postal process available to you.


Thanks. If I remember correctly, I had tried calling Experia a couple years back and they said they couldn't give a report since I no longer had a US address. 
But it can't hurt to fill out the forms and send them.

Did you know the first third-party credit reporting agencies were established in the 1830s?

Just found a good article on credit reports:
HowStuffWorks "History of Credit Reports"


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I suppose that, technical anyhow, you have no US credit report if you aren't resident in the US. But I know I've been tempted to ask for one if only to see if anyone might be "using" my SSN for nefarious purposes. I suppose that one of the things the credit history report is validating is your residential address.
Cheers,
Bev


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