Information About Credit Reporting without a SSN
What if a hospital does not have your Social Security number, can they still report the bills to the credit bureaus?
What if the Hospital does not have your Social security number can they still report it to the credit Bureaus..also what about an External Collection agency can they report you without your Social or can they get your social security number?
Creditors, including hospitals and third-party collection agencies, can report a consumer’s account to the major credit bureaus without knowing the consumer’s Social Security number. Various other pieces of identifying information, such as a consumer’s name, birth date, and address, can be used by lenders to request a credit report and to report information to the bureaus. Once it has obtained a copy of your credit report using this information, the creditor will likely have your Social Security number, as consumer credit reports often list the consumer’s Social Security number. So, even if you did not give a creditor your Social Security number, it is possible the creditor can obtain your Social Security number using your name, address, birth date, etc. You should keep in mind that several types of credit information, such as judgments and other public records, can appear on your credit report without using your Social Security number to identify you (judgments do not list your Social Security number because they are public records).
The fact that creditors can report credit information to the credit bureaus without using your Social Security number is one of the reasons that credit reports often contain inaccurate account information. This problem is especially prevalent with relatives who share similar names, such as fathers and sons; often, I have seen a father’s credit information appear on his son’s credit report due to the fact that the two men share a similar name, have shared a mailing address, etc. I always encourage consumers to review their credit reports to make sure that all of the information reported is accurate. If you find any inaccurate items on your credit report, dispute the listings with the credit bureaus. See the Federal Trade Commission document FTC Facts for Consumers: How to Dispute Credit Report Errors for more information.
To learn more about credit, credit reports, and credit scoring, I encourage you to visit the Bills.com credit page. I wish you the best of luck and hope that the information I have provided helps you Find. Learn. Save.
Best,
Bill
8 Comments
I think you are asking if it is possible for someone to obtain a consumer's credit report without the consumer's permission. Using a reasonable interpretation of the FCRA, the answer to this question for an ethical person is "no." However, a private investigator I trust said in practice, the answer to this question is not so black and white. Read FCRA § 604. "Permissible purposes of consumer reports" [15 U.S.C. § 1681b] to find the loopholes available for an ambitious person willing to bend the rules to claim their need to pull a consumer's credit report fits the statute. Keep in mind there is no auditor monitoring the credit reporting agencies to determine if all, many, or even some accesses of consumers' credit reports complies with the FCRA.
A fair answer to your question is, "For the right price, one can obtain another's credit report without that person's permission."
I don't need a credit report. I need help. I want to make a negative report on a dead beat tenant who skipped out on me and gave a fake SSN. I don't have his ssn. Am I screwed? I need access to his ssn for legitimate reporting reasons. The credit agencies won't take my report without ssn. What can I do, please? This is urgent.
Joseph, you don't need a debtor's Social Security number to report a debt to the credit bureaus. You can verify that at this page on Experian's websiteA business can report to one credit bureau or more than one. It is not a free service, so you need to balance the benefit of reporting against the costs for reporting and for making sure any reporting you do follows the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
I am not sure if you want to report to the bureaus to take some action against your former tenant from whom you haven't been able to collect. A negative mark on his credit would harm his credit score, but it won't put money in your pocket. Maybe the cost of participating in reporting would be better spent suing the person to get a judgment against him?