Who's getting a hold of your private information? 
Did you know that the credit bureaus (Experian, Trans Union, & Equifax) are allowed to sell your information to just about anyone that asks? We've talked about this before, but many of our clients are once again reporting an increase in this activity. Lending and financial institutions just need to apply and pay to get access to aspects of your personal information and credit file.
The most common use of this we see is in the Mortgage arena. These companies pay the credit bureaus a fee in agreement that when you pull your credit for a mortgage application they are automatically notified. Most people don't find this out until it's too late. Almost immediately after their credit is pulled they begin to receive tons of phone calls and letters of uninvited solicitations. It can be confusing and quite overwhelming.
These companies can request a surprising amount of information too. Usually they get your full name, address, phone number, and sometimes even your credit scores. It's not uncommon for scrupulous companies or individuals to use this information to trick you into thinking you've already spoken with them, or they are somehow affiliated with the company you thought you were working with. Trust me, the Do Not Call List is not always a deterrent for these guys either.
So what can you do about it? The good news is that you have power! The best thing to do is to plan ahead. Goto www.optoutprescreen.com and opt out of their shared information plan. This is the official site where you can make this change with all 3 Bureaus at once. Opting Out will officially remove your name from any of lists they sell. It takes at least 5 days to kick in, so do yourself a favor and do it NOW.
If you'd like to learn more about ways to limit your exposure to solicitation & mortgage fraud just shoot us an email at protectme@greenmeansgrow.com and we'll share some of our other secrets with you.
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