Bad Credit Agency

What information do credit reference agencies hold about me?

Today I took out a contract phone and Carphone Warehouse asked to photocopy my student id and fax it to a CRA. What info do they hold about me ? Do they now have my photo in their system ? How does a credit check work - is it done by a person or computer ? Also are they private companies or government agencies ? How do I know what they are doing with my information ?

Public Comments

1. I doubt they keep a picture of you, but they do have the ability to know most of your financial business regarding the use of credit. You can get a copy of your credit report, then you will know what they know about you. But one thing many people don't know is that every time a credit report is generated, it actually lowers your credit score by a little, but if you have concerns it will be worth it.
2. Getting a credit report doesn't harm your score at all - thats total crap, applying unsucessfully for credit will be registered, thats all credit reference agencies do - they record stuff, they dont give people credit scores - lenders do that, they dont have blacklists. The agencies will have details of all your credit accounts and the manner in which you maintain them, so if you pay late they know, if you miss payments they know, all they do is compile and record all this information, lenders then use this information to decide whether or not to grant/decline credit. A credit check is done by computer and is actioned by a lender, they will run credit scoring on you and the information that the lenders have will be taken into consideration. The agencies are private companies, and they are goverened by the freedom of information act and the data protection act, they have to provide you with any or all information they have about you if you request it - they do have the right to charge for this information, if you do it by letter it'll cost you £2, it can be done online but it costs around a tenner - at least it does with equifax - the one I use. You do have the right to challenge any information that they hold if you feel that its incorrect and you can attach notes to any entry on your credit history.
3. they dont have your photo but they know everything else such as wether youv been refused credit cards car insurance or any debt you have from your past no matter how long ago
4. they know plenty, where you live, what credit cards you ahve, your age etc, your credit history, are you a regular payer, have you or are you in default or behind. It's all held on a computer, but, as in all these cases, relies on the accuracy of what has been input by a person, so it's always possible to see you record and check it, but it does cost a fee.
5. Hi there; They took a copy of your student I.D as on certain networks you get an automatic pass on a contract if you present it to them. They basically use it to check that you are really in full time education etc...Carphone Warehouse will only keep a copy for reference, the other will go to the network as proof that you've not lied to get a contract (fraud) That happens more than you would think! A credit check...this is done first by a computer - data entry, and it comes back with a yes or no with regards to whether you can have a contract. It basically checks that all the information you have given them is correct. Sometimes if a person is a student, unemployed, or an overseas resident, the whole thing has to go to an individual at a checking agency to decide whether it would be a good idea to let you have a contract. If you want to get hold of your credit report you can get it from Experian. This will show you what information is held about you. I wouldn't worry too much as there are laws concerning who can see it, and how it can be used.