What details does Equifax have?

In October last year I received a letter from Equifax, the credit reference agency, informing me that my personal data had been hacked.

It offered a free trial of various security products.

At first I thought this was a scam but after checking the company out, I realised that it was genuine.

So I wrote to the person whose name was on the letter asking for details of what Equifax held on my file, what authority it had for holding it, and who had asked for access to it in recent times.

I also wanted to know why it felt that I needed its security products. PAUL ROUSE, EAST YORKS

After its parent company was hacked and customers’ data compromised, Equifax offered a two-year subscription for Equifax Protect, a service that monitors personal data.

This alerts the subscriber by email or text to potential signs of fraudulent activity and provides credit report information.

To avail yourself of this, and indeed to find out what was actually contained in your credit file, you needed to provide Equifax with yet more information.

You describe the reply to your query as “dismissive” and “arrogant”.

An anonymous letter from Equifax informed you that the complaint that you made had been investigated and not upheld.

You were sent a form to fill in to gather more of your personal information before Equifax would supply details of the data that it held about you.

You wrote to The Information Commissioner’s Office, but it said it was “unable to look into complaints about Equifax’s customer service”.

Equifax explained that the information it collected “makes it possible for people to access credit quickly and fairly”.

The agency added that it allowed people to “purchase goods, buy insurance, take out a loan or even have access to utilities”.

It also said it helped “large businesses verify a person’s identity, age and address to help prevent fraud and money laundering”.

You queried why such a firm wants this kind of information when you always pay for things up front and do not want to use its services.

Data should not be stored without a really good reason, you say.

You remain uneasy about the power these agencies have and how those who do not comply with these companies’ requirements are excluded in various ways from financial services.

Equifax said some of the information it holds is in the public domain, such as Companies House details.

Other information is needed as a safeguard to verify your identity, should you want to access its services, it said. You insist that you don’t.

Equifax also said a central hub is required for a wide range of lenders to find out the creditworthiness of applicants or to help landlords with tenant verification.

You say you do not feel this information, given the past, would be in safe hands.

Although Equifax does not understand why you do not want to give it any more information, I do.

Paul Rouse wrote to Equifax and said he found the reply ‘arrogant’ and ‘dismissive’