More personal data to freeze

There’s no such thing as privacy anymore: Someone, somewhere has all the details about us. Even if you take steps to mask your online activity and protect your privacy, you’re still not totally anonymous. We all know that our credit history is pretty easy to access—and is increasingly used (and perhaps abused) in just about every aspect of your life, from getting a job to renting an apartment. If you’ve been paying attention to this show, you probably froze your credit reports long ago.

Beyond freezing our credit reports, perhaps we should freeze our employment history as well. There’s another report that’s just as invasive and just as important to lock down so that it can’t be used against you without your knowledge. It’s called The Work Number, and we should all start paying attention to it and freezing it.

What is The Work Number?
The Work Number is an “employment verification” system run by Equifax, well-known for their careful handling of our private data (the same folks who leaked 147 million people’s data in 2017). It’s a database of 716 million income and employment records, including yours. Employers send employee data into the system – data like – your job, your wage or salary details, the dates of your employment and other details. When you apply for a job somewhere else, that potential employer can then order a copy of your Employment Data Report (EDR).

Companies send this data to The Work Number because it makes their lives easier: Human Resources (HR) departments are asked to provide work verification on a regular basis (for example, if you’re applying for an apartment and your landlord needs to check your employment status). Giving this information to The Work Number automates the process so they don’t have to respond manually to every verification request. Prospective employers can quickly and easily verify your resume.

All that seems pretty mundane until you consider the other ways your EDR can be used. For example, if you’re working extra jobs to make ends meet, one of your employers might use The Work Number to discover that and fire you. A potential employer could use your EDR to review your past salary range and lowball you in negotiations. Equifax sells this data pretty much to anyone who wants it, including debt collectors. That means you should take control of your EDR in the same way you take control of your credit report by freezing it.

How to freeze your EDR
Equifax believes that you shouldn’t freeze your EDR because it actually benefits you in the sense that it makes it easy for people to verify your employment history, reducing delays when you’re applying for a mortgage or interviewing for a new job but that small bit of convenience doesn’t really outweigh the negatives.

The Work Number falls under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) just like your credit reports, so you’re entitled to get a free copy of it once a year, and freeze it or unfreeze it at any time, at no cost. When you freeze your credit report you can unfreeze it when you know you’ll be applying for credit. You can also unfreeze your Work Number any time you know you’ll need employment verification.

The process is pretty easy
Go to the official Work Number website and click on “Log In.” Search for your current or former employer(s) using their name or employer code (the nine-digit number on your W-2). Click their name, followed by Register Now and enter your information (it does requires your Social Security Number).

That’s it! Now you can access your EDR via the Work Number dashboard. Review it and make sure it’s accurate, just as you would a credit report and dispute any problems you find. Then go back to the dashboard and select “Freeze Your Data.” The Work Number will send you a letter confirming the freeze, along with a PIN you’ll need to unfreeze it later. You can also submit your freeze request via postal mail, email, or by phone.

Once that’s done, anyone seeking to gain access to your employment or wage history will be blocked until you unfreeze it. That means no one gets that information without your knowledge. It’s a minor inconvenience, but at least you’ll have a tiny bit more control over your personal information. After all, your potential employer or landlord doesn’t need to know everything about you.

The Work Number
https://theworknumber.com/