> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://faq.universalaccountservicing.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Answering the identity questions

> What the multiple-choice identity questions are, how many you can get wrong, and why you might not be asked any.

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.

## 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.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Question one">
    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/uas-consumer/nKYu3rjgGgqOQjwP/images/applying/apply-kba-01-question-zip.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nKYu3rjgGgqOQjwP&q=85&s=48fcd074cbb5f1e44bb6cd0e3cba158f" alt="Identity Verification question one, asking which zip codes the applicant has resided in" className="w-[200px] h-auto rounded-xl" width="1179" height="2172" data-path="images/applying/apply-kba-01-question-zip.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Question two">
    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/uas-consumer/nKYu3rjgGgqOQjwP/images/applying/apply-kba-02-question-phone.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nKYu3rjgGgqOQjwP&q=85&s=87623d9eb85c92e256ceae50f723861f" alt="Identity Verification question two, asking which phone numbers the applicant has been associated with" className="w-[200px] h-auto rounded-xl" width="1179" height="2172" data-path="images/applying/apply-kba-02-question-phone.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Question three">
    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/uas-consumer/nKYu3rjgGgqOQjwP/images/applying/apply-kba-03-question-tax-id.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nKYu3rjgGgqOQjwP&q=85&s=16c0453ab1ef08735b82bba4f5b16adf" alt="Identity Verification question three, asking which state issued the applicant's tax ID" className="w-[200px] h-auto rounded-xl" width="1179" height="2172" data-path="images/applying/apply-kba-03-question-tax-id.png" />
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  **You get at least three questions, and you can miss one and still pass.** Do not abandon the
  application because an answer looked unfamiliar.
</Tip>

## 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.

## 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](/applying/uploading-your-id) instead.

**That is not a failure.** You did not do anything wrong, and it does not affect your application.

## 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.

## If the questions do not clear it

You will be asked to [send a photo of your ID](/applying/uploading-your-id). That is the normal
next step, not a penalty.

If neither works, [call us](/applying/still-pending) and a representative can work through it with
you. Your application closes **30 days after you applied** if the check is never completed.