5/14/2023
Credit bureaus are private companies that collect data, perform analysis and offer various related services. Along with Experian and TransUnion, Equifax is part of what is known as the 'Big Three'.
If you want to contact Equifax customer service or request a credit report, here's how to do it, and we also tell you a little about its origins, evolution, what it offers and some of the problems it has had.
Equifax customer service phone number
If you want to be attended by Equifax customer service, you can call 1-888-Equifax (1-888-378-4329) You can even choose Spanish language dialing option 8.
Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9 am to 9 pm and on weekends from 9 am to 6 pm, both Saturday and Sunday.
How to get an Equifax credit report?
With this credit bureau you can obtain reports of your credit history every 7 days through the form on their web page, in which you have to indicate your first and last name, telephone number, mailing address and an identification number, which can be your Social Security Number or ITIN.
What is Equifax?
Equifax is considered one of the top 3 credit bureaus in the world. This is because they handle some 800 million consumer files and at least 88 million business-related files.
In addition to its demographic data, it offers consumer fraud monitoring and prevention services.
Along with this, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 nations within the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. It is part of the U.S. stock exchange, has about 10,000 employees and earns revenues of about $3.1 billion annually.
Like other credit reporting agencies, it is required by law to allow consumers to review their credit history free of charge once a year.
History of Equifax
This data collection agency was founded by Cator and Guy Woolford in Atlanta in the late 1800s. At that time it was called Retail Credit Company (RCC) and by the 1920s it had several offices in the United States and Canada.
During the 1960s, this company was one of the nation's largest credit bureaus.
Although this company continued to accumulate credit files, its primary operations were geared toward making reports for insurers on applicants for new policies. RCC also investigated insurance complaints and made employment reports when people applied for jobs.
Due to problems with the sale of personal data and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the company changed its name to Equifax in 1975. After that, it expanded its business reporting service in the United Kingdom. When it left the insurance sector, it offered digital certification services and created a payments division called Cartegy (sold in 2006).
Following the above, there are a number of milestones that frame Equifax's evolution:
- 2010. Acquisition of Anakam identity verification software from the company that also invented SMS.
- 2011. Purchase of eTheory, a BI company based in Charleston (OH).
- 2016. Acquisition of Veda, the largest credit reference agency in Australia at the time and which owned ReachTel.
- 2020. Following the purchase of Ansonia Credit Data, a large source of payment and received information in the logistics sector, the company had expanded its position in the area of payment solutions.
Equifax Products
Equifax operates in the B2B sector by selling credit/insurance reports and analytical information to other companies. These customers typically include auto insurance and health insurance companies, government agencies, banks, credit unions, retailers, financial institutions, healthcare providers and more.
Equifax also offers analytics, demographics, credit reports and software. Credit reports provide detailed information about people's payment history, indicating their behavior in meeting their financial commitments. Creditors use this information to decide which products to offer and under what terms.
For non-corporations, Equifax offers:
- Fraud alerts
- FICO score protection
- File freeze
- Credit reporting assistance
- History blocking via mobile device
- Credit monitoring and identity theft prevention
For businesses, Equifax offers:
- Debt recovery
- Fraud prevention
- Workforce management
- Marketing and analytics services
- Regulatory compliance assistance
- Business growth guidance
- Customer acquisition assistance
- Identity verification services
- Credit monitoring and reporting
- Credit reporting and scoring
- Risk management
Equifax Security Issues
This credit bureau has had some hiccups in recent years. In fact, from 2012 through 2017, it was the subject of some 57,000 complaints made to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Many of these were related to erroneous, outdated and misattributed information collected by the company.
Similarly, in September 2017, Equifax announced an attack that affected its internal security. During the event, cybercriminals gained access to the data of 149.5 million U.S. consumers, including their full names, addresses, dates of birth, license numbers, PINs and SSNs.
The company also confirmed that at least some 209 thousand credit card credentials were stolen. Later in 2018 the company announced that some 2.4 million more U.S. consumers were affected by the attack.
Residents of Canada and the United Kingdom were also affected by the Chinese hackers who went 134 days undetected.
Español: Equifax en español, teléfono de atención al cliente