• Twitter
(502) 473-6525 Email me
Kentucky Consumer Lawyer
  • Auto Deficiency
  • Stop Debt Collectors
  • We Fix Credit Report Errors
  • Prevent Foreclosure
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Menu

A Car Dealer might use your Driver’s License to Pull your Credit Report

September 5, 2013/0 Comments/in Credit Reporting Issues /by Hays Lawson

The below is general information only. The information is not legal advice, and should not be treated as such and is subject to the legal disclaimer.

According to a Consumer Report investigation, car dealers do not have to your social security number in order to pull your credit report. Rather, they can use your driver’s license to obtain a copy of your credit report.  And if you’ve ever been shopping for a car at dealership, you know that dealers will get a copy of your license before letting you take a car for a test drive. The dealer may use the information on your license to pull a copy of your credit report. And the dealer might not ask for your permission to do so. This raises an interesting question of whether this violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Based on FTC opinion letter, this may well come to down to question of fact. According the FTC, “an automobile dealer may obtain a report only in those circumstances in which the consumer clearly understands that he or she is initiating the purchase or lease of a vehicle and the seller has a legitimate business need for the consumer report information in order to complete the transaction.”  This opinion is based on the assumption that the car dealer is using 15 U.S.C. 1681b(3)(F)(1)[1] as its permissible purpose for pulling your credit report.

So if you don’t want a car dealer pulling your credit report when you take a test drive, you may want to expressly tell the dealer not to pull your report, just to protect yourself.



[1] “[A]ny consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report under the following circumstances and no other . . . [t]o a person which it has reason to believe . . . otherwise has a legitimate business need for the information–(i) in connection with a business transaction that is initiated by the consumer.”

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Google+
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on Linkedin
  • Share by Mail
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Topics

  • Credit Reporting Issues
  • Debt Collector Abuse
  • Featured
  • Resources
  • Significant Cases
  • Uncategorized

Latest Articles

  • Vroom is a No-Go when it Comes to Title TransfersApril 16, 2022 - 1:16 pm
  • Stop Credit Card and Insurance Junk MailJanuary 16, 2022 - 12:46 pm
  • Buy Here—Pay Here: The Carnival Game of Buying a Used VehicleAugust 2, 2020 - 1:49 pm
  • Have you been sued by Service Financial Company? If so, we can help.April 25, 2020 - 3:22 pm

Follow Me on Twitter

Tweets by @LawsonatLaw

Lawson at Law, PLLC

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Blog

BBB 149 x 56
THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT

Practice Areas

  • Auto Deficiency
  • Stop Debt Collectors
  • We Fix Credit Report Errors
  • Prevent Foreclosure
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Member

Lawson @ Law, PLLC is a "debt relief agency" pursuant to Federal Law 524 of Title 11 of the US Code.

Significant Cases

  • Fulk v. LVNV Funding LLCNovember 5, 2014 - 10:04 am
  • Grace v. LVNV Funding, Inc.November 5, 2014 - 10:04 am
  • Conway v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs.November 5, 2014 - 10:04 am
  • Currier v. First Resolution Inv. Corp.November 5, 2014 - 10:03 am
  • Stratton v. Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLCNovember 5, 2014 - 9:48 am
©2023 Copyright | Legal Disclaimer | Site Info
Re-aging Debt The FTC Shuts Down Phony Payday Loan Debt Collection Scam
Scroll to top