ChoicePoint has finally responded to my e-mail! Though of course, it was with a form letter.
In short: We’re a victim too, boo hoo. By the way, spend money and check your credit report.
They wrote (or rather, copied and pasted):
ChoicePoint was recently a victim of organized fraud, and we understand
this news may be cause for concern.
A very small number of criminals posed as legitimate companies in order to
gain access to personal information about consumers. When the fraud was
discovered, access to information was immediately discontinued and the
authorities were notified.
ChoicePoint has acted quickly to address the circumstances that led to the
unauthorized access, and we are committed to our core principles of working
to create a safer, more secure society through the responsible use of
information while ensuring the protection of personal privacy.
We are sending letters to affected consumers whose information may have
been accessed. If you do not receive a letter from us, you have not been
affected.
If you have not received a letter but are still concerned, here are some
actions you can take to help protect yourself from misuse of information.
If you think you have been the victim of identity theft, you should place a
fraud alert on your credit report by contacting any one of the three credit
bureaus listed below. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud
alert, the other two bureaus will automatically be notified to place fraud
alerts on your credit report, and all three reports will be sent to you
free of charge.
Equifax
800-525-6285
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
www.equifax.com
Experian
888-397-3742
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
www.experian.com
TransUnion – Fraud Victim Assistance Division
800-680-7289
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92864-6790
www.transunion.com
When you receive your credit reports, review them carefully. Look for
inquiries you did not initiate, accounts you did not open, and unexplained
debts on the accounts you did open. If there are accounts or charges you
did not authorize, immediately notify the credit bureau by telephone and in
writing.
You should also confirm that information such as your Social Security
number, address(es), first and last names, middle initial and employers are
correct. Errors in this information are often the warning signs of identity
theft, although some inaccuracies may be due to simple mistakes. If you
discover inaccuracies in your report, you should also notify the credit
bureau as soon as possible so the information can be investigated.
You should continue to check your credit reports frequently for the next
year to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.
Finally, if you have discovered errors or suspicious activity on your
credit report, you should consider immediately contacting any credit card
companies with whom you have an account and inform them about the activity.
You should make sure they have your correct information on file and that
any changes to the account were made by you.
If you would like to learn more about your consumer information, you may
visit our consumer site at www.choicetrust.com.
Thank you,
ChoicePoint Corporate Marketing
What I do find interesting is that ChoicePoint acknowledges that it collects medical, financial, personal and driving history information on individuals for the purpose of allowingits clients to conduct background checks and pre-employment screenings, yet they don’t offer any way for the average case file subject to find out what’s on those records, pointing instead to Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
