Credit scores play a key role in your ability to access a variety of financial products and programs, including personal loans, mortgages, and credit cards. But, it can also affect your ability to get certain types of jobs, secure a rental unit, and even get a cell phone contract.
That’s why it’s important to check your credit scores, which you can check by requesting a copy of your credit report and score from one of the two credit bureaus in Canada: TransUnion, or Equifax.
With TransUnion you can access your credit report in a few different ways, all of which require you to provide certain pieces of information to verify your identity. The information provided will help ensure that no one else is trying to unlawfully access your information and potentially steal your identity.
But what if TransUnion cannot verify your identity when you request your credit report? Why would this happen? Let’s take a look at what’s required to obtain your credit report and potential reasons why TransUnion may be unable to verify your identity.
You can obtain a copy of your credit report from the credit bureaus in Canada or from third-party providers.
To get your credit report through TransUnion, follow these steps:
You’ll need to fill out your personal profile and provide details such as your name, address, phone number, email address, and date of birth. You also have the option to provide your Social Insurance Number (SIN).
Once you’ve filled out all your personal information, you’ll be asked to create an account with a username and password.
You’ll be required to verify your identity to prevent anyone else from impersonating you and attempting to access your information. You may be asked for more information, including your SIN, driver’s license number, or bank account information. You’ll also be sent an email to verify your identity and complete your enrollment.
Once you’ve completed the process, your account will be created and you’ll be able to log in and access your account.
There are a handful of reasons why TransUnion may not have been able to verify your identity:
TransUnion will block users that do not answer the identity authentication questions correctly for security purposes. That way, anyone who has nefarious intentions will be prevented from repeatedly returning until they can guess the right answers.
You may be asked about a mortgage you don’t have or a loan from a lender that you don’t recognize. These questions are asked so that the likelihood of an unauthorized user guessing the answers is significantly reduced for your own security. These questions might not be taken from your TransUnion credit report. When a question like this is asked, the authentication application is looking for an answer of “None of the above.”
Perhaps you’re only a co-signer on an account or own the account jointly with someone else. If you don’t make payments on the account, you may not be familiar with it and may not have the information available to answer questions about the account correctly.
It’s possible that your credit information may be linked with the information of someone else whose identification information is similar to yours. This is more likely to happen between family members who share the same name and address, but it may also happen with two unrelated individuals who have very similar names and Social Insurance Numbers.
Failure to fill out your profile accurately will likely result in TransUnion being unable to verify your identity. For instance, you might make a mistake filling out your name, address, or birth date.
A third-party provider may not be able to verify your identity if you placed an alert on your TransUnion account. This will prevent the credit bureau from verifying your identity.
If you only have a few short months’ worth of credit information, this might not be enough for the credit bureau to accurately identify you.
If TransUnion is unable to verify your identity, a security block will be applied for 7 days, though this only applies to online delivery of your credit report. Once the 7 days pass, you’ll be able to order your credit report online again. If you so choose, you can always request a paper copy of your credit report through mail, telephone, or online.
If you decide to order your credit report by mail, you’ll need to supply the following information:
Getting a hold of your credit report on a regular basis is a great way to make sure all the information on your report is true and accurate. It’s also a great way to spot any potential signs of identity theft. If you’re unable to access your credit report or score because TransUnion is unable to verify your identity, do some investigating to find out why, and rectify it.
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Lisa has been working as a personal finance writer for more than a decade, creating unique content that helps to educate Canadian consumers in the realms of real estate, mortgages, investing and financial health. For years, she held her real estate license in Toronto, Ontario before giving it up to pursue writing within this realm and related niches. Lisa is very serious about smart money management and helping others do the same.
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