Experian Fraud & Identity Theft

Calling this number initially seems like you're hitting a choke point from the opening minute, given how Experian has set up its automated system. However, there is a way to get some information from this number, even if you're not willing to enter personal information.

When calling this number, you're taken to the Experian automated menu, which says you can either select your personal account or a business account. If you choose the personal account, you're asked to enter your Social Security Number to confirm your identity. However, should you decline three times, the system will say that to best serve you, it needs to confirm your identity and ask you if you'd like to go back and do that. If you say no again, the system will take you to a different menu where you can request information by telling the system the purpose for your call.

Upon hitting this menu, I said "credit report", which the system did not understand. I had to switch to "credit score" to get the system to cooperate. Once it did, I was told it could do one of two things for me. It could either provide me with a step-by-step procedure of instructions so I could request a credit report by mail, or, it could give me the website link so I could see what I needed to do for myself.

I asked for the website link, and the system provided me with the address needed to find out how I could contact Experian by methods other than phone to get my credit score. At this point, the system told me I could go back to the main menu if I had another question, or I could end the call there. I opted to end the call.

Overall, I thought this was an excellent way to set up the automated system and ensure it still offers value to people who don't want to give out their Social Security Number or other sensitive information over the phone. Most people who call Experian will have no issues, but for a few, there might be some trepidation. Given the nature of what Experian does, it's vital to protect that kind of information, so this system offers a good compromise between Experian's obligation to protect its data and its desire to help its customers.

Offering two ways to get information about different things Experian does helps ensure that customers of all kinds are taken care of here. If you want to use an old-school way to get information, you can. If you'd rather get to the website quickly, you also have that option. Based on this experience, I'd have no issues using this number to contact Experian if I needed assistance.