US consumers - Freezing your credit files DOES NOT HELP if you have not heard of NCTUE? Here is the bonus, NCTUE is also tied to Equifax. You may have to add NCTUE to the list of orgs to request credit freeze.

Mobile phone merchants do not ask any of the four credit bureaus, they are making credit queries with this organization. 

There are four “exchanges” that feed into the NCTUE’s system: the NCTUE itself; something called “Centralized Credit Check Systems“; the New York Data Exchange; and the California Utility Exchange.

The NYDE is operated by Equifax Credit Information Services Inc. (yes, that Equifax). Verizon is one of many telecom providers that use the NYDE (and recall that AT&T was the founder of NCTUE).

Many people who have succeeded in freezing their credit files with Equifax have nonetheless had their identities stolen and new accounts opened in their names thanks to a lesser-known credit bureau that seems to rely entirely on credit checking entities operated by Equifax.

NCTUE makes it fairly easy to obtain any records they may have on Americans.  Simply phone them up (1-866-349-5185) and provide your Social Security number and the numeric portion of your registered street address.

you can place a freeze on your NCTUE report by calling their 800-number — 1-866-349-5355.


https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/05/another-credit-freeze-target-nctue-com/