How do these people know how much debt I am in???

[Quagmire]

Over the past year or so (as my credit card debt kept rising), then I started getting periodical notices in mail for various debt settlement companies with an estimate of how much credit card debt that I have.

How do these companies find my “name & address” and find out how much credit card debt that I am in?

Quagmire

[BKOnce]

Your credit card companies or online retail companies (where you register your personal info) selling the bulk list of PAST customers (in thousands) to other companies for marketing and/or third-party collection profits. These marketing/buyer (second-hand) companies then run your credit history based on this supplied info (name, address, SSN#, etc.) of people just file BK then chase after your shadow.... There are also credit companies that can run your credit WITHOUT complete name, SSN#, or birthday info, etc. They can search!

[Quagmire]

Thanks BKOnce. I appreciate your help.

Quagmire

[catleg]

I advise you to "opt out" of promotional credit offers.

Opt out site

I would also encourage you to put a "security freeze" on your credit reports.
This might help prevent collection agencies ding your credit further with inquiries, as well as keeping your employer from doing a background check at least without you knowing about it.

Experian

TU

Equifax


Of the three, TU and EXP still make it possible to view your own credit file fairly easily; while EQ is a major pain about self disclosure, so perhaps you can hope they are equally annoying to those trying to gain access to our files. LOL right. :-)

[frogger]

name & address

Everything about your life is for sale...

[catleg]

Type your name into this site

[sheilaE]

Catleg:
OH MY GOSH! Typed my name in and my comments that I wrote for a friends blog came up. How crazy is that?!?!

[flyinbroke]

I remember the furor over spokeo.com, where it pulled WAY TMI on people. Mine had 130 people of the same name and none of them were me.

Will keep flying below the radar.

[nickifan]

I remember the furor over spokeo.com, where it pulled WAY TMI on people. Mine had 130 people of the same name and none of them were me.

Will keep flying below the radar.

Once you're ON the radar though...how can you fly below it??

I checked my name too in frogger's site and similar to you, there are over 140people with my name. I've advised credit report bureaus in the past that I have never lived in one city they keep attaching to me...but there it still was on the otherwise-correct list. I'm out there, for sure.

I know I've filled out personal info after completing shopper surveys for Walgreens or Walmart in the hope of winning $3000...so I guess that's the type of source they have.

[catleg]

If you type your phone number into google, by default it does a reverse lookup.
If you click on the link you have a way to opt-out of this service, but not the many others. Google is a big time internet stalker. There are some people who are none too happy with those camera vans too.

[ryan]

If you type your phone number into google, by default it does a reverse lookup.
If you click on the link you have a way to opt-out of this service, but not the many others. Google is a big time internet stalker. There are some people who are none too happy with those camera vans too.

A very good friend of mine was able to get his house OFF the Google Street View....it is now blocked and blurs his place as you move past it.

I'm amazed what degree of privacy we have given up in the name of technology.

[Okieblue]

Very sickening, my Amazon wishlist is available, as well as past addresses and email addresses from a decade ago. Not at all happy about knowing that.

[catleg]

I got a letter from some debt consolidation place. It stated a balance and a proposed settlement amount. Totally made up numbers. I do notice that we get a lot less of the "mortgage re-fi" junk mail since we opted-out of promo mail from the credit bureau w h o r e s.