Background check question - credit files

[poppo]

This may be a stupid question, but my LTC will be up for renewal again toward the end of the year. Since my last renewal, I have been a victim of identity theft. As a result of that, I have freezes on all three credit bureau files. Note: a freeze is more than a fraud alert and it prevents a report from being pulled. I am aware that law enforcement can get past the freeze, but I don't know if it requires something extra like a warrant. So does anyone know if a credit file check is part of the background check? I can lift the freezes temporarily, but would prefer not to unless absolutely necessary.

[twomillenium]

I am not aware that a credit check is used, I know some that would have been denied if it was. They do check state tax levies and child support.

[poppo]

I know that certain things like delinquent child support can be reported on the credit files. If I'm not mistaken being behind is a cause for being denied.

Texas Government Code Chapter 411, Subchapter H states an application for a LTC may be denied if the applicant has been finally determined to be delinquent in child support obligations

http://www.dps.texas.gov/RSD/CHL/faqs/index.htm

This does not apply to me, but that is why I was wondering if they use credit files to check for these sort of things and if having a freeze would cause issues and or delays.

[G.A. Heath]

I would not be concerned about the credit freezes but I would be concerned about unknown warrants or taxes you are thought to owe because of Identity theft. I know an individual in another state who discovered several parcels of land were in her name along with several bench warrants issued for speeding tickets in the same general area for her based on a stolen identity. Fortunately she was able to negotiate with the authorities to determine what was happening. After a few years and a large sum of money she was able to clear herself of the charges and taxes levied against her. As it turns out a high school friend and her had made photocopies of their IDs and social security cards for a job they applied for and lost them. They made new ones and both got the jobs, what they didn't know was that when the friend traded in the car a later owner found the copies that had been lost and used them to steal both young women's identities. Both women had thought they cleared up the stolen identity issue roughly a year before hand when they started repairing their credit. In the end the video from a traffic stop of the car is what led to discovering the identity of their ID thieves, the friend recognized her old car and it was a simple matter of learning it's most recent owner. The plates on the car were fictitious but returned to a car of the correct make and model licensed in CA.

[ScottDLS]

DPS does not run a credit check as part of the background check for a LTC.

[poppo]

I would not be concerned about the credit freezes but I would be concerned about unknown warrants or taxes you are thought to owe because of Identity theft.

Mine seems to be strictly related to opening or trying to open credit card accounts. I have a credit monitoring service but that only alerts you after the hard inquiry or account was opened. I found out the hard way that having a fraud alert does nothing, as I already had one on all of my files. I was able to get the bogus accounts closed or stopped but it was a pain to get the accounts and hard inquiries removed from the credit files even when the credit companies sent letters. It took about 6 months to get everything cleared up. After that I decided to put the freeze on them. In TX it is free if you file a police report (which is also a pain). At least I know that is working, because I had gotten a couple of letters from credit card companies after the freeze was put on telling me they could not process my application (that I never submitted) because they could not pull a report.

Anyway, as I noted earlier my only reason for asking was in regards to some of the other stuff like the delinquent child support that can show up on a credit report, and I did not know all of the places they look for things like that.

DPS does not run a credit check as part of the background check for a LTC.

Thanks. I really did not think they did because I never saw an inquiry from them before. But then again, I don't know if would show up even if they did.

[ScottDLS]

I would not be concerned about the credit freezes but I would be concerned about unknown warrants or taxes you are thought to owe because of Identity theft.

Mine seems to be strictly related to opening or trying to open credit card accounts. I have a credit monitoring service but that only alerts you after the hard inquiry or account was opened. I found out the hard way that having a fraud alert does nothing, as I already had one on all of my files. I was able to get the bogus accounts closed or stopped but it was a pain to get the accounts and hard inquiries removed from the credit files even when the credit companies sent letters. It took about 6 months to get everything cleared up. After that I decided to put the freeze on them. In TX it is free if you file a police report (which is also a pain). At least I know that is working, because I had gotten a couple of letters from credit card companies after the freeze was put on telling me they could not process my application (that I never submitted) because they could not pull a report.

Anyway, as I noted earlier my only reason for asking was in regards to some of the other stuff like the delinquent child support that can show up on a credit report, and I did not know all of the places they look for things like that.

DPS does not run a credit check as part of the background check for a LTC.

Thanks. I really did not think they did because I never saw an inquiry from them before. But then again, I don't know if would show up even if they did.

That's how I figured it. I've even seen credit inquiries from the Feds when I've had a DoD security clearance, but never from any of my state gun licenses. If fact, the credit bureaus get the "public records" like taxes, and child support delinquency from the state, not the other way around.