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Federal law requires us to confirm the identity of everyone who opens a credit account. Once we have your credit report, a check runs against your information. If it does not come back clean, we ask you to confirm you are who you say you are. This is a routine step. It is not an accusation, and it is not a credit decision.

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What you will be asked

You will see Identity Verification with a series of multiple-choice questions built from public and credit record data. They cover things like the zip codes you have lived in, phone numbers associated with you, and where your tax ID was issued.
1

Question one

Identity Verification question one, asking which zip codes the applicant has resided in
2

Question two

Identity Verification question two, asking which phone numbers the applicant has been associated with
3

Question three

Identity Verification question three, asking which state issued the applicant's tax ID
You get at least three questions, and you can miss one and still pass. Do not abandon the application because an answer looked unfamiliar.

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Answering them

Some questions include options that are meant to be wrong — addresses you have never lived at, numbers that were never yours. “None of the above” is a real answer when it is offered, and choosing it is often correct. The questions are drawn from records going back years, so an old address or a long-disconnected phone number may be the right answer even if it means nothing to you today.

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If you were never asked any questions

Not everyone can be asked. The questions are generated from available record data, and for some people there is not enough of it to build a set. If your credit history is short, or you have moved recently, or your records are thin, you will be sent straight to a photo ID instead. That is not a failure. You did not do anything wrong, and it does not affect your application.

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If there is a fraud alert on your credit file

A fraud alert asks anyone pulling your file to confirm the request is really from you. If you placed one, and the phone number on your application matches the one you gave the bureau, the alert usually clears on its own. If it does not match, you will be asked the same questions above.

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If the questions do not clear it

You will be asked to send a photo of your ID. That is the normal next step, not a penalty. If neither works, call us and a representative can work through it with you. Your application closes 30 days after you applied if the check is never completed.