Carol and I got a letter this afternoon from the National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange (NCTUE), a subsidiary of Equifax based in Atlanta. As best I can tell (I’ve never heard of it before today) the NCTUE is a way for phone companies and utility companies to exchange data on deadbeat customers, so that when a guy who owes three grand to the phone company moves to another state, the phone company there can examine his application with a more critical eye and possibly deny the account. In that it’s a lot like a conventional credit reporting firm, albeit a vertical-market one.
The letter was very plain, not on any sort of letterhead, and relatively crude by my standards. (I could have set up a mail merge like that using a spreadsheet twenty years ago.) It did not come with a glossy explanatory flyer, as I would expect. The key message in the letter is this: According to Colorado law, a consumer reporting agency (like NCTUE) is required to send a free report to consumers who receive either:
- Eight credit inquiries (no indication of a timeframe) from a telecom or utility firm; or
- A single report that adds negative information to someone’s NCTUE file.
To receive a “free disclosure copy” of our report, it suggests that we either call the number 1-866-349-5185 or fill out the bottom third of the letter sheet and send it to:
Exchange Service Center – NCTUE
PO Box 105161
Atlanta GA 30348
The phone number is a robot that immediately asks for your social security number, and provides no option to speak to a human being. The sheet requires your social security number and date of birth, along with a signature. Needless to say, they’re not getting it. Carol and I have an autopay system for all telecom/utility payments, and we keep the autopay account well-stoked. Our use is fairly predictable, and nothing has changed in a long time. The account has plenty of money in it, and no bills have failed to be paid on time. (We checked.)
Interestingly, the NCTUE Web site is not accessible right now. When I try to go to nctue.com, I get a “Bandwidth Limit Exceeded” message. What this suggests is that NCTUE is engaging in some shady marketing. If they recently dumped several million of these letters in the mail, their web site may well not be able to handle the traffic. I doubt that we got the letter because of some mistake in our own payment management. I’m guessing that gazillions of people got the same letter, and they all arrived today, and everybody is trying to go up there at once and see WTF is going on.
Either that, or they’ve pissed off enough people to earn a DDOS attack…but somehow I doubt it.
It’s unclear what NCTUE is trying to sell, and I’ll keep investigating. I’m guessing Equifax (their parent company) is trying to hawk some kind of credit protection plan, but since I won’t hand them my SS number, it’s hard to tell. In the meantime, I’d be interested in hearing if you’ve received this letter and what, if anything, you’ve done in response.
UPDATE 3/11/2012: One thing I forgot to ask people to mention in their comments: Are you in Colorado? I’m trying to determine if this effort on NCTUE’s part (whatever it turns out to be) depends on some quirk in Colorado law, or if it’s national in scope.
Also, read my next entry, for 3/11/2012!
I also have a letter dated March 2. I called the CO AG office, and was told to call the Postal Inspection Service at 877 876 2455. I filed a complaint with the Fraud Department. This can be done online as well, at
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov.
I am from Colorado and I did get that letter. I am glad that I came upon your website before I did anything, but I, too suspected a fraud of some sort.
I also received the letter dated March 2 and I am in Colorado. I pay all my bills on time too!
I rcvd their letter, dated 3/2/12.
Won’t respond to the mail, nor dial the number. Did look it up (thus finding your site).
It uses a nickname, vs. my legal name. I’d ordered and rcvd all my credit reports within the last 6 months, w/great score. I’ve not opened new accounts , nor been late on debts, so no one should be ‘hitting’ my report as NCTUE states.
If it is Experian related, could be why they’re not part of the trilogy anymore. Seems slippery.
I also rec’d ltr of 3/2/12. Knowing I’ve had no late payments in past 25 years, tried access their website with no luck. So your post and other comments and shredded letter.
I am in colorado and received one today and knew it was B.S. right away. Signed them up for a bunch of catalogs using their PO Box
I too received that exact letter. I too thought it looked suspicious and I too pay all my bills in full and on time. I also live in Colorado. I’m going to call Equifax and Experian. You can request a free copy of your credit report at http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/ccc/reporting.html or by calling 1-877-322-8228 which is on the fdic site.
I also got the letter around the 5th of March and live in Colorado. Had no luck talking to a human on their phone number – keeps going automated on every button pushed. Tried to get on website and it was temporary unavailable. I will be shredding the document shortly – thanks to you and everyone who has commented.
I also received the same letter dated 2 March 2012. I have always payed my bills on time and have an excellent credit rating. I also live in Colorado. I will be shredding the letter. Thank you for the info.
I too live in Colorado and received the identical letter you all did dated March 2, 2012. Being skeptical, and never having heard of this “consumer reporting agency” I began to research NCTUE, which ultimately lead me to your article. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences! Although NCTUE is not accredited through the BBB, they do not show any records of criminal activity or complaints for NCTUE in the past 13 months. Regardless, something still does not feel right. I had no intension of responding by phone or mail but did want to try to determine whom they were and what this was regarding. I will be filing a complaint with the Fraud Department, as suggested in another person’s reply and may notify the BBB to keep a watchful eye too.
I’m so glad I ran across this post. I have excellent credit so was surprised when I received this letter. I experienced all of the things you all did and was suspicious of their asking for my SS number, and for the letter looking so plain and saying “such as the… NCTUE” – as if this perhaps wasn’t even that agency.
Thanks for all your posts, I’m going to point this out to the BBB.
I live in Colorado and received the same letter dated 3/2/2012. I looked up their website and decided it was safer to call the number on the site rather then the number on the letter. I was never able to get through to a live person.
I got the letter, and as I’m a young guy desperately trying to build credit, I called the number and before thinking, put in my SSN and DoB. I know, dumb, but they had me well-targeted.
What should I do to ensure that I haven’t compromised myself, or if I have, to ensure that I don’t set myself up for a lifetime of trouble.
I suspect that I’m not the only person in this situation, and would like to get this conversation started on behalf of other people who are at risk of getting hosed.
:/
Call your insurance company. We have State Farm and they were able to help us in a similar circumstance.
We have Lifelock. Not expensive and could probably help you with information on what to do. I think you can just sign up for monthly service. I am sure there are other services too. Hope this helps.
I lived in Colorado and received the very same letter dated 03.01.12. I thought it looked super shady and didn’t think it was legit… especially since they didn’t even get my address correct! Local news has run a story stating that Equifax has confirmed that these are legit letters, but to request your own free credit report, not the one offered in the letter. Most people who’ve done so have seen no negative reporting… so the NCTUE letters seem to be “legitimate” but inaccurate (?!). WEIRD!
I live in Colorado and received the letter as well. Called and put in SSN and DOB. Sure enough I received a detailed report in the mail indicating a problem with my AT&T Wireless account (family plan). I called AT&T and the numbers that the NCTUE had for my payments exactly match what AT&T had, except AT&T shows that I was never passed due. I then had the AT&T person call them directly (there is a phone number on the report) and they said that I can file a complaint. Similar to the process for an actual credit report. I have done that and await additional information. It appears as though this is not a scam, but not particularly well managed either.
Just got my boyfriends in the mail. Dated April 3rd (yes in colorado). He is pretty good at forgetting to pay bills so I wasn’t super surprised but I was confused. Usually a utility or phone company would turn off your service before they reported you to a credit agency. At the end of the day they want their money and to stop losing money and while hurting your credit does hurt you long term it almost never gets you paid since once it is on your credit it stays there. But after checking all of our bills we are totally up to date. Glad I found your page before I passed his SS# on.
I just received this letter felt it didn’t look right so looked it up and came upon your site. my letter is dated April 3, 2012. Thanks for the information I will not respond.
By the way I also live in Colorado.
Just received the letter dated 4/3/12 in Colorado. Ran all three credit reports and had no dings– never paid our Verizon bills late…
Thanks for keeping this thread open. I am in CO and got mine today – dated 4-3-12. Something is rotten here and maybe we sould call 9 news?
I also received the letter in today’s mail. It didn’t sound right, asking for social security number right away. I would not have opened the envelope if it were not sent first class. Usually the bulk mailing rate is a red flag. I am glad I searched it out and I will not respond. I also live in CO.
Thanks!
I also live in CO and received a letter dated 4/3. Equifax was a pain and contacted Trans Union. Talked to an East Indian and posted a fraud report and asked for a copy of my report and didn’t have to go through some robot like Equifax. He said other agencies will be alerted of the fraud report. The letter may or may not be legit, but no telling these days as to how our information can be passed around and is.
A comment. Have any of you received promotional materials for Century Link and could they be the ones triggering their expansion in our state/area?
Century Link being the ones triggering the credit dings and triggering the letters to be sent to us.
I also received the letter and pulled my credit report. Nothing on there. Sometimes I pay a little late but never 30days late that would send something to a credit reporting agency. What a bunch of Crap. It is like the guys from Iugi that call from India and tell you that you have a virus on your computer.
I also live in CO and was suspicious – all of these bills at our household are in my partner’s name, not mine, so that and the request for my social security number made me wary …glad I came across your post and I am ignoring the letter also. Thanks !
I just received the letter today, dated April 3. I live in Colorado and haven’t had utilities in my name since I moved here 4 yrs ago. So it sure sounds like a scam to me.
I just got one today dated April 3rd. I called the number on the website and got a man from another country who I could barely understand who tried to get my social security # . I refused and gave only my DOB. He finally said that we had 10 reports of paying more than 30 days late to Direct TV ( Colorado). I got specific dates from him and then called Direct TV . Direct TV went through 3 years with me and said that we have never been late with them and that they did not report to any agency. He then suggested that I report this to the BBB as it is probably a scam to get our socials. Good luck! And don’t give them your social!
Received the same letter as everyone else dated April 3.
I was curious but suspicious. I Googled “NCTUE” and the phone number in the letter and found another phone number 877-657-9006 that is also listed in web pages for something called Odessey Training Center.
I have a clean slate with the three credit reporting agencies. All this plus the amateurish letter…no way are they getting any of my info. It’s either a marketing campaign or an outright scam. Back away!
Colorado resident, rec’d letter dated 4/3/12, never pay bills late, also never give out my SS # or DOB w/ out checking. It seems interesting that the mailings seem to have come in two waves on 3/2/12 & 4/3/12….this doesn’t seem real to me. Thanks for all the feed back, I’ll be shredding the letter and reporting to the BBB.
I recived a letter dated April 3 and called, I got a women who was very hard to understand and asked to speak to her supervisor. She told me her supervisor was not availible and that she was not able to tell me the location she was calling from. She instructed me to call back when I did call back three times the same women answerd every time. This does not seem like a good thing. going to call consumer protection at the colorado Attorney Generals Office.
I received a letter dated April 3, approximately 1 month after being falsely accused of paying my gas bill late. (I,too, have excellent credit like many other bloggers on this site and auto pay via online banking). I was so upset by this letter that I immediately called the 866 number given and, (not thinking) entered my husband’s ss# in order to receive the name of the company that supposedly reported me. My brain then kicked in and I then panicked and called the credit bureau to report a fraud and request a fraud alert. Long story short, Denver’s Channel 4 recently conducted a consumer report on this very letter and they claim it is a legitimate thing. Regardless, NCTUE should not be requesting social security numbers for any reason. I will be curious to see if I receive a report and what is on it. Lesson learned. I’ll know better in the future. This was scary and I am not normally so gullible. Ugh.
I got one of these letters dated April 3rd. I didn’t reply, it came to my old address and was forwarded to my new one. This is extremely irritating. I don’t pay my bills late and just the idea of this angers me. I hope the BBB and other citizens do something to counter act this. I’m tired of agencies sending out these types of letters to trigger a wave of people pulling their credit reports either by mistake or in fear that they gave their SSN to a “shady” but “legit” business.
Think about that, Equifax is going to RAKE money on people puling their credit reports even by mistake because of the fear this letter caused. STEP UP FCC and do something about this garbage.
Just received our letter in the mail too. Dated April 3, 2012. We are in Colorado too. Never had any bill paid late and definitely knew something was off about this letter with mention of needing the SSN. Glad I found your post too!
In Colorado, received the letter dated April 3, 2012 – googled them and got this site. We too are in good standing will all phone, utility services. I figured it was a scam and by what I am reading, I asumed correctly. I will be emailing the a copy of the letterto several agencies.
Yes, my wife recived a letter dated April 3 as well. Oddly enough, my name is on all of the related bills, but I didn’t get such a letter.
Current Colorado Native here…….Got the same letter dated 4/3/2012 stating 8 inquiries with one negative report added. I dont pay late. What got me thinking that this is not a legitimate letter is that an identical letter came addressed to my father who passed three years ago. I took care of his estate and everything is wrapped up. I thought it strange. Nonetheless, as I have come to realize, the careless use of electronic technology and anyone asking for your SS# is something I have to be always on guard with. I’m relived to read all these comments, because I started to think one of my down and out siblings was trying to once again, take advantage of my fathers good nature, even in death. Forgive me for even thinking that way. But experience proves they were/are scrupulous and coniving. Glad I dont have to re-live that nightmare.
Also in CO. Mine must have come from another wave of letters. It’s dated April 4 2012.
Anything requesting a SSN and DoB is questionable at best.
I plan on reporting to US Postal, CO AG, BBB and anyone else I can think of.
I have received mine today 04/14/2012 thanks for this info I have confirmation about this fraud. of course i have never sent my SSN. but it’s good info. I think we I need to give this fraud info for local TV channels.
We live in Colorado Springs and received the same letter as well prompting me to search the web for any additional information. Glad I checked! We don’t give much information to anyone and were not about to hand out SSN and signature based on a vague “negative” report. There are just too many scams out there to worry about this.
Thank you for the article and all who commented previously.
Got the letter over the weekend. It’s dated 4/4/12. I live in Colorado and like most of the rest of these folks, pay all my bills on time & have excellent credit.
My letter was dated April 4. I moved to CO last summer, and in the confusion of having mail forwarded first to my daughter’s address before I could actually move into my apartment, I unintentionally delayed payment of my last bill at AT&T. I spoke with a representative of that company as soon as I discovered my error and was assured it would not be reported. Regardless of this lapse, I was skeptical of the claims of the letter, as I have applied for and received spending accounts since. I am so glad I researched this letter before providing my SS# to a company I had never heard of. I hope the truth about the intent of the NCTUE is soon discovered and others who are diligent in their utility accounts management will be spared the anxiety of receiving such a letter, which can easily cause them to regretfully provide sensitive information in an effort to redeem their good financial reputations.
I also received a letter, dated 4/4/2012; this one had a letterhead of sorts.
Since my first name was misspelled in an obvious way, I was able to trace the source of the information claimed by NCTUE to my cable provider. I called them to see if they had any reason to report my account to a credit checker. They had never heard of NCTUE and said my account had always been in good order, also that they don’t register any past due accounts to any credit agency until the account has been disconnected for a month.
Thank you for offering this sort of information.
I live in CO and have moved twice in the last year, so I thought that maybe I missed a bill somewhere. But I’m extremely detail-oriented and think the chance of that is quite low. After reading all the replies here, I’m not going to worry about it. Glad I searched this on the web first.
Received the letter (dated April 4th) on April 16th. I am getting ready to buy a house, and immediately got pretty pissed when I saw the letter. My wife told me to cool my jets and do some research. Like others here, I am glad I came across your site. Is there some sort of action we can take against these criminals? I would be full-in for shutting down this kind of activity. Keep me posted!
I received one of these letters dated 4-3-2012. I did not like the way nctue website was formatted, not really giving me any info which made me suspicious, glad I found your site. I, like everyone else have not had any late bills and have good credit. I also live in Colorado (Grand Junction)
Actually..this has already been researched, reported etc. The NCTUE is a credit reporting agency for the utilities industry. They are not affiliated with the big 3 credit agencies. Equifax does utilize some of their services, however that is the extent of their relationship. Utility companies report to the NCTUE. When applying for a new utility-related service, the company contacts NCTUE to see if they need to ask for a deposit. If you closed and then opened a utility service, the NCTUE will have you on a data matching list. If you paid your bills on time, then your letter from the NCTUE is bogus aka a phishing expedition. If you want to ensure you do not have an issue, contact a utilities company. Have them open a new “dummy” account to see if a deposit is required, if one is not required, you do not have a credit issue.
I received the same letter, dated April 4th. Finally got on NCTUE website and found a different phone number, which I called. I only moved to Colorado 6 months ago, and haven’t applied for ANY phone/utilities in my name, nor should I have any late payment history on previous accounts where I moved from (Oregon). I spoke with a gentleman but refused to give my SS#. He was able to pull up my report from using my name(s) and previous addresses. There is a recent negative report from AT&T. I haven’t been with AT&T for about 19 months, and I left them paid in full… He is sending my full credit report (the Equifax version) and some forms of what to do to fix anything incorrectly reported…
Is there any update to this whole situation?
I also just received one of these letters today, dated the 4th. I don’t care how legal this supposedly is, it stinks to high heaven of a scam.
The state appears to be useless, and the local CBS news reporting doesn’t appear to have followed up on this either.
Same here as the rest of you. Letter dated, April 4th (really? it took 14 days to get here. I think not. Any respective business would have dated and had this letter in the mail that day). I live with my brother and haven’t signed up or had to pay for utilities in about 6 years. I knew this to be a scam the minute they asked for my social security number (don’t do it). I am planning to contact Equifax to tell them they are using their name as a management firm. I want to report this to all the consumer reporting agencies, better business bureau , and the Colorado state department.
I have never been late and have actually rented out my home for the last year. I am not buying to this. NOBODY should ask for your social security number if you’re late of deliquent on a payment.!!! It freaked me out a bit but I am going to egnore this ridiculous letter.
I also live in coloado
Colorado resident, I received the same letter, dated April 4th. Have bills set up for automatic payment, never pay bills late, also never give out my SS # or DOB I am elderly and it seemed like one of those scams directed at the aged so i tore up the letter. It seems interesting that the mailings seem to have come in two waves on 3/2/12 & 4/3/12. Thanks for all the feed back. I helps confirm my decision to not respond.
Me too! Letter dated April 3, 2012. ALL of my utility bills paid by automatic charge to my credit cards….NEVER NOT PAID by credit cards. Vere suspicious of letter, of NCTUE website. I tried contacting Equifax Information Services to no avail. I am sending this to the Colorado AG. This departments needs to be aware of the type of “shady” appearing information is going out to citizens….and think about those who “fell” for it. Yikes!
Seen this on the news the other night didn’t think anything of it until we received a letter dated April 4th, do not respond to this letter, if you have replied to it call all credit reporting company’s and put freezes on your accounts, they mass produce credit cards, loan checks, etc in your name. That’s why it asks for your Signature, SS# and DOB that’s all they need to screw you, its just funny to me that this hasn’t been shut down yet! This great country we live in has really gone down hill with these losers we have in congress if they have been in more then 3 years lets get them out, I sent out letters to all official companies, news sites etc do your part to help me make this known to everyone, this is the only site I found this on so lets spread the word further!