Experian etc, who can see my updated information?

PJ70

Hi folks,
I have a question which may sound a little odd but here goes.

I have wanted to start to rebuild my credit after it was wiped out following an accident a few years ago which left me incapacitated and broke. The first thing I wanted to do was check my credit score but the only thing that has put me off is I recall 10+ years ago when I first registered with Experian, I had to input a whole heap of previous address including my new current address. I have a company chasing me for a disputed debt they claimed I still owed which will never be resolved (very long story) so when I moved some time ago, I didn’t give them my new address details

Baring that in mind, my question is.....when we register with the likes of Experian etc and update our information, is there any way creditors or particularly their collection agents are also able to gain access to my newly updated information???

The last thing I want is for either the psycho owner of the company I supposedly owe money to or his collection agents, to have my new address (and it’s not for financial reason if you get what I’m saying) so I am extremely concerned that by updating my info on these credit report sites, this new info can then be accessed and therefore become a tool used by creditors or collection agents to assist them with their own outdated records when pursuing old debts. I hope that all made sense!!!


[FONT=&quot]I need to start to rebuild my credit score, therefore need access to my records but also need to be careful so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

PJ
[/FONT]

molerat

PJ70 wrote: »

Hi folks,
Baring that in mind, my question is.....when we register with the likes of Experian etc and update our information, is there any way creditors or particularly their collection agents are also able to gain access to my newly updated information???[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

Yes they may be able to. Most of the debt chasing companies have access to the CRA (and other) databases and will regularly trawl for customer details. That said, if your details have been updated with any bank, utility or insurer that reports then that information is already out there for them to obtain.

PJ70

Sorry for the delay responding molerat...many thanks for answering my question.

I must admit that I had never even thought about the address details supplied to utility companies and the fact that this info would be automatically applied to my credit report. Another case of the obvious being not so obvious till someone points it out to you

Thanks again for your help

PJ

DCFC79

You do know the credit score isn't seen by lenders but you only ?

There's 2 other agencies who can provide you with a rating or score and which can vary so this tells you the scores aren't anything to go by.

Thrugelmir

Experian offer a service called GAIN. Gone Away Information Network. With the advent of technology simply disappearing without trace to avoid paying debts is no longer an option. Footprints are left everywhere. If you don't provide information then you'll struggle to obtain clearance for whatever you are applying for in the future.

GingerBob_3

GAIN also makes it that much easier for psycho company owners, or anyone else for that matter (if they're prepared to pay Experian), to track you down. However, you can take steps to make it difficult for them. This relies on not having "lending" credit at your current address, using only partial name on the electoral register, and NOT (absolutely not) providing the majority of utility providers with detailed personal information.

PJ70

Thanx all for your comments.

@DCFC79 I had seen that mentioned before about the different agency's supplying different information so the actual score does vary. I guess the best thing would be to register with a few different ones and see what happens.

@Thrugelmir In this case, its more to do with avoiding the creditor rather than the debt itself but unfortunately one comes with the other. I had never heard of the GAIN service but after having a quick look at what it is, I am not sure if I would be on something like that as the only outstanding debt I had at my previous address was with the said psycho. All my other debt were written off by the creditors. Mind you, if he knows about the GAIN service, he probably would put me on it just to tick me off

@GingerBob Thankfully I am now in a position where I will not be needing to borrow from anyone ever again (touch wood) but should never say never. I have learned to be very cautious over the years and provide only the barest of information when required but I know that no matter how hard we try, our info is out their for all the world to see. Saying that, it never hurts to be reminded by folks like yourself that we should never drop our guard.

Many thanks to you all for your comments. This is exactly why I join forums like this one. You've certainly given me a few things to look at and as always pointed out some things I had never heard of before so I have a little light reading to catch up on tonight.

Thanks again

PJ