Anytime you apply for a home loan, car loan, credit card or even open up a new savings or checking account, someone is probably ordering a credit report on you, to check your credit worthiness. The three Credit Bureaus (Equifax, Experian and Transunion) then notify and sell certain parts of your information to their subscribers, (other companies) who pay a fee to obtain information which may include your name, FICO scores, type of inquiry, current credit balances and how to contact you, including your name, phone number and address without your permission.

So what can you do to protect and prevent your private information from being sold to numerous subscribers? One, is to go online to www.optoutprescreen.com and fill out the “opt out form”. This will prevent the sale of your credit data for five years and is free of charge. Or you can call 888-5-OPTOUT (888-567-8688) You may also ‘opt out’ permanently if you do it in writing. Simply print out the form provided on the web-site and mail it in. These will all help you keep your credit secure and cut down on junk mail.

To contact the Credit Bureaus directly, you can reach them at:
Equifax 800-685-5000
Experian 888-243-6951
Transunion 866-922-2100