3 ms·

If you are unaware, Americans can get copies of their records from Lexis-Nexis, who runs a very similar business. You get one free copy annually under the FACT

by x0x0 10y ago

If you are unaware, Americans can get copies of their records from Lexis-Nexis, who runs a very similar business. You get one free copy annually under the FACT act. Mine ran to over 60 pages. https://personalreports.lexisnexis.com/access_your_full_file_disclosure.jsp https://personalreports.lexisnexis.com/access_your_full_file...

gravypod 10y ago
Did it have anything interesting about you?
- x0x0 10y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12236961 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12236961
xrange 10y ago
Anything you were surprised about?
- x0x0 10y ago
  I just went through it again. It is a centimeter of paper. They had every address (and a few extra!) I've lived at in my life. They had the address I'd stayed at with relatives for 6 weeks between moves. The email address I used to purchase (I use a unique email address per place I give an email to, eg store_name@mydomain.com) stuff from: jcrew, ebags, performance bike. They had multiple sources for address information, including the CRAs, USPS, E-merges (voter registration), Neustar, Alloy Media, and a dozen companies I've never heard of. They had college records from Alloy Media. They had emails for my partner. They had deed information for most places I've lived. They had CLUE information -- all car insurance claims -- for me and for people I've shared car insurance with. They had spaces for FAA licensing, hunting/fishing licenses, lawsuits, payday loans, watercraft, ATF (gun) licenses and investigations, marriage licenses, and sex offender status.
  - syngrog66 10y ago
    this is why, among the many many rules I've adopted in life, as an adult with an increasing amount of RL experience: (1) never fill out forms when it's not truly necessary, and (2) always pay in cash (whether USD or Euro or Bitcoin). Oh and use "ad blocking" and decline/disable cookies/js/etc as much as possible. related: we also live in a world increasingly of "wallet-based pricing/acceptance". which means, if someone (a vendor, a thief) might charge you a higher price (or be more likely to attack/steal from you) if they have reason to believe you are upper income, then, you want to minimize how much information they have about you, esp about your identity. For example, if you're a software engineer by profession, you never ever want a vendor to know your profession (or your name, if a google of that can lead to your profession, eg.) before you hear from them the price, or the "availability" of the product. I'd love to think we live in a world where that shouldn't matter. But an increasing amount of the evidence I've seen, with my own eyes/ears (not theory, not second-hand), is consistent with having to take that into account. generally, the less the other party in a transaction (vendor, fellow citizen, etc.) knows about you, as an individual, the more likely you are to receive an objectively fair/neutral price/response. They think you're poor? Decline. They think are minority? Decline. They think you have higher income/wealth? Higher price. They think you have lower income/wealth? Suddenly not available for <reasons>.
    - x0x0 10y ago
      My solution is to buy as much stuff as possible from amazon. They know just about everything I buy, but they have mostly the same incentives as me, ie my information doesn't leak out of amazon. They may let people market through them, but they're sure gonna make sure nothing leaks out...
      - whorleater 10y ago
        Isn't that effectively "putting all your eggs in one basket"? If Amazon changes business models at some point in the future, or is breached somehow, they'd have a goldmine of information about you. If you split up your shopping at least each individual shop has less incentive to reveal your information to competitions shops.
rdtsc 10y ago
Ha. So the "Full File Disclosure" form has entries for full name, dob, social security, driver's license info current address, past addresses, phone number. If they somehow didn't have that info before, they would definitely have it after you send the form it. Also kind if a neat trick, much like the coupon trick from the article. It would be funny if you sent in the form and then if you weren't in the system, they'd just photocopy the form and send it back to you with a "thank you" note. Funny side story about them: I tried to interview there once, many years ago. They have this antiquated in-house developed query language -- a skill you couldn't transfer anywhere. So you'd sort of be stuck there, for life. Up-front said would force me to works on weekends, for what already was looking like a miserable pay. As if living in Dayton, Ohio wouldn't have been enough punishment. Best part was the future manager made a joke about how she likes to "crack her whip sometimes", which made the other engineer in the room laugh ... nervously. Was half expecting him pull me to the side and whisper "escape while you still can".
- whorleater 10y ago
  Technically they only ask for 1 of each column, so it's not as revealing as it seems. You could go apply for a new state ID, use that for Category A (revealing your address/birthday/weight/eye color/donor status/tiny image of your face), and then send them a gas bill (revealing address and last 4 digits of credit card). Assuming you've done any shopping online in the past 4 years your address is probably already on file, so the only new information they'd have is your birthday and personal stats. That might actually be worth it if the original comment is correct and they have ~60 pages of information available on file per person.
- x0x0 10y ago
  Wow, bragging in an interview about riding employees hard is special. OTOH, you should be grateful! That may have saved you from an awful situation. (But yeah, I bet they're currently whining about an engineering shortage.) Anyhow, I didn't provide my ssn, just drivers license plus my current address on a utility bill. I'm sure CA has already sold them the drivers license data anyway.
whoopdedo 10y ago
I did this. The report they sent claimed that the former resident of my apartment was still living here. I guess I could write back to correct it, but I also wonder if allowing the mistake to remain would provide me with plausible deniability if anyone ever tries to use my credit report against me.
- lcarlson 10y ago
  If your credit is messed up, you will have other issues to contend with besides erroneous addresses. Side note: if you did have an outstanding debt, a collection agency might serve the wrong person. This could trigger a law suit... Or some sort grief for some undeserving person. :(

by x0x0 10y ago

gravypod 10y ago

Did it have anything interesting about you?

x0x0 10y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12236961 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12236961

xrange 10y ago

Anything you were surprised about?

x0x0 10y ago
I just went through it again. It is a centimeter of paper. They had every address (and a few extra!) I've lived at in my life. They had the address I'd stayed at with relatives for 6 weeks between moves. The email address I used to purchase (I use a unique email address per place I give an email to, eg store_name@mydomain.com) stuff from: jcrew, ebags, performance bike. They had multiple sources for address information, including the CRAs, USPS, E-merges (voter registration), Neustar, Alloy Media, and a dozen companies I've never heard of. They had college records from Alloy Media. They had emails for my partner. They had deed information for most places I've lived. They had CLUE information -- all car insurance claims -- for me and for people I've shared car insurance with. They had spaces for FAA licensing, hunting/fishing licenses, lawsuits, payday loans, watercraft, ATF (gun) licenses and investigations, marriage licenses, and sex offender status.
- syngrog66 10y ago
  this is why, among the many many rules I've adopted in life, as an adult with an increasing amount of RL experience: (1) never fill out forms when it's not truly necessary, and (2) always pay in cash (whether USD or Euro or Bitcoin). Oh and use "ad blocking" and decline/disable cookies/js/etc as much as possible. related: we also live in a world increasingly of "wallet-based pricing/acceptance". which means, if someone (a vendor, a thief) might charge you a higher price (or be more likely to attack/steal from you) if they have reason to believe you are upper income, then, you want to minimize how much information they have about you, esp about your identity. For example, if you're a software engineer by profession, you never ever want a vendor to know your profession (or your name, if a google of that can lead to your profession, eg.) before you hear from them the price, or the "availability" of the product. I'd love to think we live in a world where that shouldn't matter. But an increasing amount of the evidence I've seen, with my own eyes/ears (not theory, not second-hand), is consistent with having to take that into account. generally, the less the other party in a transaction (vendor, fellow citizen, etc.) knows about you, as an individual, the more likely you are to receive an objectively fair/neutral price/response. They think you're poor? Decline. They think are minority? Decline. They think you have higher income/wealth? Higher price. They think you have lower income/wealth? Suddenly not available for <reasons>.
  - x0x0 10y ago
    My solution is to buy as much stuff as possible from amazon. They know just about everything I buy, but they have mostly the same incentives as me, ie my information doesn't leak out of amazon. They may let people market through them, but they're sure gonna make sure nothing leaks out...
    - whorleater 10y ago
      Isn't that effectively "putting all your eggs in one basket"? If Amazon changes business models at some point in the future, or is breached somehow, they'd have a goldmine of information about you. If you split up your shopping at least each individual shop has less incentive to reveal your information to competitions shops.

rdtsc 10y ago

Ha. So the "Full File Disclosure" form has entries for full name, dob, social security, driver's license info current address, past addresses, phone number. If they somehow didn't have that info before, they would definitely have it after you send the form it. Also kind if a neat trick, much like the coupon trick from the article. It would be funny if you sent in the form and then if you weren't in the system, they'd just photocopy the form and send it back to you with a "thank you" note. Funny side story about them: I tried to interview there once, many years ago. They have this antiquated in-house developed query language -- a skill you couldn't transfer anywhere. So you'd sort of be stuck there, for life. Up-front said would force me to works on weekends, for what already was looking like a miserable pay. As if living in Dayton, Ohio wouldn't have been enough punishment. Best part was the future manager made a joke about how she likes to "crack her whip sometimes", which made the other engineer in the room laugh ... nervously. Was half expecting him pull me to the side and whisper "escape while you still can".

whorleater 10y ago
Technically they only ask for 1 of each column, so it's not as revealing as it seems. You could go apply for a new state ID, use that for Category A (revealing your address/birthday/weight/eye color/donor status/tiny image of your face), and then send them a gas bill (revealing address and last 4 digits of credit card). Assuming you've done any shopping online in the past 4 years your address is probably already on file, so the only new information they'd have is your birthday and personal stats. That might actually be worth it if the original comment is correct and they have ~60 pages of information available on file per person.
x0x0 10y ago
Wow, bragging in an interview about riding employees hard is special. OTOH, you should be grateful! That may have saved you from an awful situation. (But yeah, I bet they're currently whining about an engineering shortage.) Anyhow, I didn't provide my ssn, just drivers license plus my current address on a utility bill. I'm sure CA has already sold them the drivers license data anyway.

whoopdedo 10y ago

I did this. The report they sent claimed that the former resident of my apartment was still living here. I guess I could write back to correct it, but I also wonder if allowing the mistake to remain would provide me with plausible deniability if anyone ever tries to use my credit report against me.

lcarlson 10y ago
If your credit is messed up, you will have other issues to contend with besides erroneous addresses. Side note: if you did have an outstanding debt, a collection agency might serve the wrong person. This could trigger a law suit... Or some sort grief for some undeserving person. :(