Identity Theft, Employment and the Reporting Agencies

Identity theft is a major life difficulty that can affect your family, credit score or even your job prospects. Many employers are and have been looking into the credit histories of prospective employees as a way to differentiate the deluge of job applications during these difficult times.

Some say that checking credit scores of job applicants is hitting below the belt against individuals who, for better or worse, could not meet their obligations due to job loss, divorce, illness or the sluggish economy. Employers, on the other hand, are already skeptical of the current economy and are doing everything within their power to employ people while keeping their business intact and operating smoothly. They feel that identifying poor credit risk individuals is within their rights to hire the employees the consider the most fit for the job and the culture of the company.

Like it or not, that's why it's important to keep track of one's credit score. There are many sites at which one can access a free credit score to check for discrepancies, mistakes or fraud, the signature of identity theft.

Sites offering FreeScore provideof credit scores, reports and consumer credit information, along with identity theft protection services. An effective deterrent against identity theft and all sorts of other social maladies, getting the information from the three major credit reporting companies - Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.

Discrepancies on any, from those of the other reporting services, or transactions or information of which you are unaware, should alert you to the possibility of foul play.

It is important that as soon as you become aware of mistakes or errors in any of your credit history, that you contact the reporting agency, preferably in writing, for an explanation. Also advisable is contacting the financial institution upon which the error is recorded, be it a credit card company, bank of other financial institution.