How to See Who Has Checked Your Credit Report

Your credit reports keep track of all inquiries made in the past two years. Inquiries are requests for information from an organization or person. If you've been comparison shopping for a loan and you are approved for one within 30 days, do not expect this to lower your credit score. On the other hand, too many inquiries for credit can lower your score slightly and may flag you as a potential credit risk. Examine your credit reports to find out who has been viewing them.

Instructions

1

Request all three of your credit reports from the major credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. Under federal law, each person may request one free credit report per year. You can get all three at once at AnnualCreditReport.com (See Resources).

2

Read your credit reports once you receive them. Find the section marked "Inquiries" or "Requests." If this section is blank, you have not received any inquiries on your credit reports in the past two years.

3

Examine the names of the institutions or types of inquiries if you do have some listed. Your credit reports should list the date of the inquiry and the name of the organization that requested the information. Sometimes, the type of inquiry may also be available. For example, if you requested a quote for a home loan, the report may state something like "mortgage inquiry."

4

Investigate any inquiries you do not recognize. If your credit reports show an inquiry for a mortgage, but you have never attempted to buy a house, you could be the victim of identity theft. On the other hand, other inquiries labeled "promotional inquiries" that you do not recognize are nothing to worry about. These are typically unsolicited credit card offers and should not hurt your credit score.