How to remove a credit report ban

With data breaches on the rise, information present in your credit file is at risk of falling into the wrong hands. Anyone can fraudulently obtain the details and use them to take out loans or credit cards in your name, damaging your credit health in the process.

If you suspect that your identity may have been compromised, requesting a credit ban is a powerful protection method to prevent unauthorised borrowings. Wondering ‘how to put a ban on my credit file?’

Read on to learn more about credit ban in Australia and how to enforce one:

A credit ban occurs when the credit reporting agency does not disclose any information from your credit report without your consent to any third party, including credit providers. You can lock your credit report while authorities investigate if your identity has been stolen and used for a fraudulent transaction. This in turn removes the risk of lowering your score. There are no charges payable to place a request to freeze credit reports in Australia.

Freezing a credit file means no one can apply for credit in your name till the ban is lifted. If a credit provider requests the credit rating bureau to provide your credit information during this period, they are notified that there has been a request to place a ban on your credit file.

In other words, as long as the ban continues, the credit agency will block credit applications in your name and prevent anyone from accessing your data as part of a credit check unless you instruct them otherwise.

Under the Australian law, a ban on a credit report can only be lifted with the written permission of the borrower. Therefore, requesting a credit check block makes little sense if you have no reason to suspect that someone has stolen your personal information. In such cases, the ban will only prevent you from achieving your financial goals, such as getting a loan, as no lender will be able to conduct a credit pull till the credit agency receives your consent to release the information.

You can request a credit freeze in Australia by contacting the different credit reporting agencies and asking them to put a ban on your credit report. You may have to provide some documentation to prove your identity and it may take some time for credit bureaus to cross check the information and effectively.

Applicants can also fill up the request form of one of the credit rating bodies and get them to liaise with other credit agencies and request a ban on their credit records. However, one should carefully read the terms and conditions for the same.

How to place a ban on Equifax credit report?

For Equifax credit ban, you can fill up the online form available on their website or place a call.

You can also email banrequestAu@equifax.com with the subject line ‘Request a ban.’ You should provide the following information to support your Equifax credit report ban request:

• Driver's licence number
• Your current and previous residential address
• Date of birth
• Full name as it appears on your passport

You can request a credit file ban at Experian by either filling up the ban request form available online or calling the credit bureau.

You must provide personal identification details, including your driver’s licence number, date of birth, and residential address to put a ban on your [Experian credit report]((https://www.clearscore.com/au/learn/credit-score-and-report/experian-credit-score-and-report). You must also indicate the reason for requesting a ban by selecting the appropriate option from the drop-down menu.

You can also email Experian at creditreport@au.experian.com to request a credit check freeze. The email's subject line should say ‘Add Ban,' and supporting documents should be attached.

Accepted documents are categorised into different groups. You are free to provide 1 document from Groups A, B, and C or pick 1 document from Group A and 3 documents from Group C. A non-exhaustive list of documents includes:

How to place a ban on Illion credit report?

To ban your ban credit report from Illion, you can complete this form and provide the necessary details. The form also allows you to authorise Illion to contact other credit reporting bodies and request that they also freeze your credit report.

Alternatively, you can call the bureau or drop them an email. Email requests should be sent to pac.austral@illion.com.au with the subject line ‘Ban application form.’ The following documents should be attached to support your request for putting a ban on your Illion credit report:

• Your driver's licence,
• Passport, birth certificate or Proof of Age card issued by the Government; and
• Utility bills or bank statements which include your name and address

Initially, a credit report ban is in place for 21 days.

All the leading credit reporting bureaus in Australia, including Experian, Equifax, and illion, enforce the ban for 21 days. However, the credit hold may be extended for longer if the borrower requests.

Since a credit freeze is temporary, it doesn’t impact your credit score adversely. Similarly, it does not impact your repayment obligations or alter your liabilities. You can also continue using the credit cards you hold.

In fact, if it is established that your identity was indeed compromised, any information on account of fraud is removed from your credit report.

However, since a credit ban means that your report is locked, applying for new credit can be challenging -- the lender won’t know your credit score, which is checked as part of evaluating any credit application. You will need to provide written permission to the credit rating agency to release your information to the lender. The lender may also ask for additional information relating to your credit health.

So before you request a credit check ban, consider whether you need to apply for any credit immediately.

You can extend the ban by writing to the concerned credit reporting body whose report you wish to lock. There’s no limit on the number of times you can request an extension of a credit report ban in Australia.

However, each credit reporting body can decide the period for which they extend the ban. At present,

• Illion credit ban can be extended for 12 months at a time;
• Equifax credit ban be extended for 3 months;
• There is no time limit for Experian credit ban, and one can extend it for any duration

Any request for extending your credit freeze should be accompanied by ACORN (Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network) Report Number or the police report number. It is also advisable to make the extension request at least 5 to 10 days before the initial ban period expires.

At present, credit reporting agencies do not charge any fees for the extension.

If you suspect that you may have been defrauded or someone has stolen your identity, it is a smart move to block your credit report temporarily to prevent incurring any financial damage.

Now that you know how to freeze credit in Australia, act as soon as possible to stop fraudsters from gaining access to your data. If you want to request your credit report immediately to check for unauthorised transactions.

Its also a good idea to check your credit reports from time to time before you request a credit ban. With ClearScore, you can access your credit reports and check credit score anytime.