Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Fifteen years ago, I changed my whole name--first, middle, and last.

About a year ago, I looked up my current name on Intelius and a few other such sites. One of them listed my birth name as one of my relatives. I was cool with that. The other thing that I thought was kind of nice was that I had the same last name as the people who owned the mailbox business where I received my mail--so they're listed as my relatives, whereas my own family is nowhere to be seen. I was happy with any development that didn't connect me with my family or that confused matters by treating my current name and birth name as two separate people.

I guess my past is finally catching up with me; now things have changed a bit. I see that a couple of these sites have my birth name listed as an alias or a possible alias. Intelius doesn't do this, but when I look up my birth name, by current name is listed as an alias. I figure that it's only a matter of time before the opposite is true--that when I look up my current name on Intelius, my birth name will be listed as an alias, just as it is on some of the other sites.

Obviously, I'm not particularly happy about this. I was thinking that I could fly under the radar with these sites/businesses forever. I suppose it's unlikely that anyone hostile to me will see the record and scream, "Transsexual!!!" But you never know, and I want my information to stay as private as possible.

So I'm wondering...have any of you noticed that your old name is listed as an alias on these sites? If so, have you ever bought the full record to find out what it says? I don't know what information is held in the records that you have to pay for. I mean, I know it won't be flagged "sex change" or anything like that, but what information IS there about these aliases and possible aliases?

The amount of information, and it's decimation, and it's availability was staggering back in the early 90s.  Now, it's omnipresent and ubiquitous, you can run, but there is no place to hide anymore unless you can find a way to crawl completely off the grid. 

I don't know about the sites you mentioned but a few other sites give you the option to have your info removed. I contacted a few sites and asked to be removed and they did remove me (at the time anyway).

Tekla's right though. One thousand years after we're dead you'll still be able to get our past info from the internet.

Quote from: Radar on March 31, 2011, 03:07:41 PM
I don't know about the sites you mentioned but a few other sites give you the option to have your info removed.

I'll have to look into this. Thanks for the tip, Radar.

just remember that the more of the compiler sites that crop up and subsequently merge with each other, the likelihood of information becoming jumbled and less reliable. 

While I have been known to rely on some of the web-based sites when compiling a client background, I NEVER consider them to be definitive nor authoritative.   

Further, I would HIGHLY encourage people to get a copy of their Lexis PERSON report on at least a yearly basis.  That gives you a much better idea of what exists in public information land and what entities you might need to look to for correction/sealing/eliminating recorded information. 

That being said, even the information on Accurint and similar products has been known to be suspect. 

My guess is that those who have sought to transition in the past decade are going to find a greater array of stored information.  But, at least from the standpoint of government records, there is often a provision to at least mask personal identifiers (ie. SSN) that, in this case, link two names to the same person. 

Quote from: Ann Onymous on April 24, 2011, 04:24:32 PM
just remember that the more of the compiler sites that crop up and subsequently merge with each other, the likelihood of information becoming jumbled and less reliable. 

So far, I think I'm seeing about a fifty-fifty mix here (of more accurate vs less accurate info over time), but it's hard to tell. When these services became available, I didn't perform comprehensive searches on both old and new names.

A lot of job applications and other forms only seem interested in a former name if you have used it within a certain number of years--I've seen ten years crop up again and again. Since I changed my name fifteen years ago, I don't feel that such questions apply to me, so I don't fill in those fields. But I do wonder what happens if my old name happens to come up and someone thinks it is significant, regardless of what the form or application is asking for.

So far, my old name does not come up as an alias when I search my new name on Intelius and other sites, but my new name comes up as an alias under my old name.

I'll look into the Lexis deal, though. It appears to be free.

Quote from: Arch on April 24, 2011, 06:56:52 PM
A lot of job applications and other forms only seem interested in a former name if you have used it within a certain number of years--I've seen ten years crop up again and again. Since I changed my name fifteen years ago, I don't feel that such questions apply to me, so I don't fill in those fields. But I do wonder what happens if my old name happens to come up and someone thinks it is significant, regardless of what the form or application is asking for.

Remember that MOST prospective employers are running a quick criminal history and little else.  Unless one is going for government clearance, deeper searches are not the norm. 

Additionally, answer only the question posed.  I see this same discussion take place in a lot of C&F discussions related to Bar apps (often about disclosure of past law violations and not the name issue you pose, but the analogy remains the same).  There is no standard application and what flies in one jurisdiction may be very different from what another jurisdiction asks. 

QuoteSo far, my old name does not come up as an alias when I search my new name on Intelius and other sites, but my new name comes up as an alias under my old name.

I'll look into the Lexis deal, though. It appears to be free.

Even if not free (although it should be as arguments exist to place Lexis under the umbrella of the FCRA), it should be no more than perhaps ten bucks. 

Remember that MOST prospective employers are running a quick criminal history

More are running credit checks then criminal histories.  Particularly if there is money involved.

Quote from: tekla on April 24, 2011, 07:10:29 PM
Remember that MOST prospective employers are running a quick criminal history

More are running credit checks then criminal histories.  Particularly if there is money involved.

which can make it even LESS likely for past history on names to show up. 

Names are typically the easiest thing to get removed from a credit report. 

Even if one encountered problems or was not diligent in fixing their credit report, the basic background check will not generally involve a full factual (the one that goes back farther than seven years and six months).   

One of my three credit reports still had my old name listed. I think it was at the end of the document, though. And that was...well, maybe three years ago now. I suppose it's about time for me to get another round of credit reports.

I just ordered new reports, and, yep, Experian still lists my old name. Oh, well.

Quote from: Arch on April 24, 2011, 08:22:45 PM
I just ordered new reports, and, yep, Experian still lists my old name. Oh, well.

You should be able to remedy that with a quick dispute.  Also, if it is related to a tradeline that has not been changed over, now would be hte time to do it since the update would then also get the name into a condition that is easier to remove. 

Quote from: Ann Onymous on April 24, 2011, 08:46:18 PM
You should be able to remedy that with a quick dispute.  Also, if it is related to a tradeline that has not been changed over, now would be hte time to do it since the update would then also get the name into a condition that is easier to remove.

Hmm. I'm not sure on what grounds I could dispute it. Would I just tell them that I haven't used the name for fifteen years and it no longer applies? Or would I ask if that name is still connected to any credit cards that they have listed on my report, and then go change my name with those companies?

I've been thinking a lot about this lately and looked myself up the other day. I can thankfully say that from the first glance my old name doesn't really show up anywhere and is not connected to my new name. I've not officially changed it yet and never used my old name for websites except for the "legal account info" that no one but the company sees.

I've been thinking when I change it that I will close any accounts and such in my legal name and open new ones elsewhere with my new name when possible to avoid things like that happening online but I'm wondering how well that will work. I hope you can contact companies like that to change it Arch

Quote from: Arch on April 24, 2011, 09:59:30 PM

Quote from: Ann OnymousYou should be able to remedy that with a quick dispute.  Also, if it is related to a tradeline that has not been changed over, now would be hte time to do it since the update would then also get the name into a condition that is easier to remove.

Hmm. I'm not sure on what grounds I could dispute it. Would I just tell them that I haven't used the name for fifteen years and it no longer applies? Or would I ask if that name is still connected to any credit cards that they have listed on my report, and then go change my name with those companies?

If you haven't used that name in 15 years, then there should not be any record or accounts that use that name still in your record. Are they listing it as "previously known as" that they've kept around?

Experian in the UK is happy to update their record to "change [all of] your account information into [your] new name" and "remove any link between [your] old and new names". Similar polices applies to the other two CRAs in the UK.

They might / should be able to do something similar in the US. You should contact them to ask for advice.

Quote from: Arch on April 24, 2011, 09:59:30 PM
Hmm. I'm not sure on what grounds I could dispute it. Would I just tell them that I haven't used the name for fifteen years and it no longer applies? Or would I ask if that name is still connected to any credit cards that they have listed on my report, and then go change my name with those companies?

If you could not do it online, then they SHOULD disclose to you which tradelines the incorrect name is associated with.  You should NEVER say it is a name you no longer use as that cements it to the record.  Rather you just indicate that the report has incorrect information related to your name (and whatever other errors exist since reports tend not to be accurate). 

Both Intelius and US search will allow your info to be blocked from display on their website.  Both require you mail them a request with proof of identity ie driver's license with pic and number crossed off. Read the fine print on the sites.  They do say that new info they get will show up, but hopefully your old name won't pop up again if you aren't using it.


Jay

Quote from: Ann Onymous on April 24, 2011, 04:24:32 PMjust remember that the more of the compiler sites that crop up and subsequently merge with each other, the likelihood of information becoming jumbled and less reliable.

When I went to the sites mentioned in this thread they had aliases for me that were nowhere close as well as legit names. I know they were referring to me because they matched my address. :P So yeah, these things are a bit unreliable. I'm happy about that.

Quote from: Ann Onymous on April 24, 2011, 07:13:29 PMNames are typically the easiest thing to get removed from a credit report.

How do you do that? I contacted the 3 major credit report companies and had them change my name. They did but in some of the credit reports they also listed past names. Can I request for them to remove the aliases as well?

Quote from: Radar on April 25, 2011, 11:55:32 AM
How do you do that? I contacted the 3 major credit report companies and had them change my name. They did but in some of the credit reports they also listed past names. Can I request for them to remove the aliases as well?

Make a simple written dispute that notes the incorrect information.  Make no reference to it being an old name.  It is incorrect and you are disputing in accordance with provisions of relevant state and federal law (most commonly the FCRA at the federal level). 

Also, do not forget about Innovis, a 4th player (minor but trying to become a major entity in the credit reporting market). 

There are web forums that are dedicated to credit issues.  They can provide a LOT of information about the various inaccuracies.  Situations related to names in this scenario will be outside of their norm, but I am sure there are plenty of people on those boards who were divorced and had a name changed and wanted a name or two removed from the report.

I have a question about the credit reports. I have a mortgage under my old name and the mortgage company won't let me change it. I also can't get my name off the mortgage until my ex refinances the house or it's sold.

Equifax allows you to handle disputes online- including names. My concern is if I have my past names removed will it mess up the info about the mortgage? Since I pay the mortgage it helps my credit score too. Could that leave me open to a colossal credit mess up? Would it also remove any credit I earned under my old names?

When disputing online you click a box that says "this is not a previous name". Couldn't they do simple research and find out they were previous names- therefore not allowing them to be removed?

FYI for Intelius, US Search and DOB Search they want you to fax over the documents to have your info removed or hidden from the public- not mailed. That made it alot easier. I'll have to check out Innovis and send them a name change letter too like I did for the other 3.

Thank you all for the info you've given so far. It's been a big help for me on correcting documents I didn't think about. :)

Quote from: Radar on April 26, 2011, 11:05:28 AM
I have a question about the credit reports. I have a mortgage under my old name and the mortgage company won't let me change it. I also can't get my name off the mortgage until my ex refinances the house or it's sold.

Why wouldn't they let you change it? Have you legally changed your name?

Quote from: Keroppi on April 26, 2011, 12:55:13 PM
Why wouldn't they let you change it? Have you legally changed your name?

Probably because mortgages get into the secondary issues of recorded deeds associated with the contract.  It is not as simple as a database correction like would occur with a credit card or most vehicle loans.  This is also often an issue with people who get divorced or have a spouse who passes away while the mortgage is still an ongoing contractual obligation...

Quote from: Radar on April 26, 2011, 11:05:28 AM
I have a question about the credit reports. I have a mortgage under my old name and the mortgage company won't let me change it. I also can't get my name off the mortgage until my ex refinances the house or it's sold.

see my other response on this question

QuoteEquifax allows you to handle disputes online- including names. My concern is if I have my past names removed will it mess up the info about the mortgage? Since I pay the mortgage it helps my credit score too. Could that leave me open to a colossal credit mess up? Would it also remove any credit I earned under my old names?

When disputing online you click a box that says "this is not a previous name". Couldn't they do simple research and find out they were previous names- therefore not allowing them to be removed?

If you dispute online, then yes, you could see tradelines disappear.  Active accounts you wish to maintain should be changed with the credit grantor.  I am also not a fan of online checkbox disputes.  You give up too many rights that may exist under State and federal law. 

Mortgages actually add surprisingly little to a credit score.  They do change the scoring segmentation in which you fit, but they (and other note loans) do little for the score.  The last vehicle I bought gave me less than ten points.  If the mortgage were off of your report, you would potentially even see a score increase by virtue of the debtload being significantly decreased. 

QuoteFYI for Intelius, US Search and DOB Search they want you to fax over the documents to have your info removed or hidden from the public- not mailed. That made it alot easier. I'll have to check out Innovis and send them a name change letter too like I did for the other 3.

Figures, it is more difficult to prove a fax was actually received. 

QuoteThank you all for the info you've given so far. It's been a big help for me on correcting documents I didn't think about. :)

glad to help...

Quote from: Keroppi on April 26, 2011, 12:55:13 PMWhy wouldn't they let you change it? Have you legally changed your name?

Yes, it's been legally changed. The mortgage company did say I could fill paperwork out to change it. When I got the paperwork I found out the name change had to also have my ex's signature for name approval since his name is on the mortgage too. He won't do it and the mortgage company said no exceptions.

So, I can't change my name on the mortgage because they and my ex are douchebags.

Quote from: Ann Onymous on April 26, 2011, 09:21:58 PMProbably because mortgages get into the secondary issues of recorded deeds associated with the contract. This is also often an issue with people who get divorced or have a spouse who passes away while the mortgage is still an ongoing contractual obligation...

This is exactly what's going on. We'll be divorced soon but both names are on the mortgage and title deed. The only way to remove my name from the mortgage (which is what I want) is either he refinances the house (which will happen no time soon) or it's sold.

We don't want to sell the house right now due to the poor housing market and my ex wants a chance to refinance since he really wants the house.

I stay at the house right now because he's unemployed and we really don't want to rent it. We've had experience with renters and they tend to tear stuff up. I don't mind staying here since the monthly mortgage is less than most rental places around here. I also refuse to pay the mortgage if someone else is living here. That's in the legal separation agreement.

Quote from: Radar on April 27, 2011, 10:38:56 AM
Yes, it's been legally changed. The mortgage company did say I could fill paperwork out to change it. When I got the paperwork I found out the name change had to also have my ex's signature for name approval since his name is on the mortgage too. He won't do it and the mortgage company said no exceptions.

So, I can't change my name on the mortgage because they and my ex are douchebags.

(No, I am not saying the following will necessarily actually hold up in court.) Assuming you had changed the name with the land registry / on the deed to the house or whatever, you should have turned around and said since you're no longer (old name), you would consider yourself no longer party to the mortgage and hence under no obligation to contribute to any repayment. ;)

Quote from: Keroppi on April 27, 2011, 05:41:00 PM
(No, I am not saying the following will necessarily actually hold up in court.) Assuming you had changed the name with the land registry / on the deed to the house or whatever, you should have turned around and said since you're no longer (old name), you would consider yourself no longer party to the mortgage and hence under no obligation to contribute to any repayment. ;)

while your comment appears to be made in jest, some other considerations to the above:

After which one could expect reasonably to be sued for the breach of contract citing, among other things, fraud upon the Court and unclean hands.  When one gets a name change, one of the things generally attested to is that the change is not being sought in an attempt to defraud any other party or to avoid a legal obligation.

Other consequences would be to increase the hurdles to be jumped by anyone else in that jurisdiction seeking to change their name by way of court order...

Quote from: Ann Onymous on April 27, 2011, 06:32:00 PM
while your comment appears to be made in jest, some other considerations to the above:

It was, however...

QuoteAfter which one could expect reasonably to be sued for the breach of contract citing, among other things, fraud upon the Court and unclean hands.  When one gets a name change, one of the things generally attested to is that the change is not being sought in an attempt to defraud any other party or to avoid a legal obligation.

Other consequences would be to increase the hurdles to be jumped by anyone else in that jurisdiction seeking to change their name by way of court order...

It's not changing name for the purpose of fraud because the person did inform the parties involved, it was the other parties that chose not to update the records. :D

Quote from: Keroppi on April 28, 2011, 10:01:30 AM
It's not changing name for the purpose of fraud because the person did inform the parties involved, it was the other parties that chose not to update the records. :D

But...the unilateral contention of no longer being a party and hence no continuing obligation to pay would be construed as an act of fraud.  The affirmations on a name change done through the court incorporate not only fraudulent acts being covered up but also those that could be contemplated in the future.  And many things that are not viewed by the actor as fraudulent WILL be viewed through the legal pleadings as being fraudulent in nature.  One does not get to walk from a debt unscathed simply because they changed their name no matter what the other parties to the contract might do...

Update:
So I requested for these companies to remove me from public searching and they did after a few weeks. So, they will do it. I assume that they still keep your info and make it available if someone pays for it, but I feel better knowing anyone searching for free can't access my info. Few people would pay for it without a valid reason.

If anyone finds any other sites like these that might be of interest to us for privacy reasons please list it.

Wow, that's great, Radar. I haven't gotten around to making any requests because my address change is still in process. As soon as I get that straightened out and close down my old mailbox, I will start requesting that my name be removed from some of these sites.

I don't recall giving them an address so I don't think that matters. I believe I even marked my address out on my DL- I can't remember. They didn't mail me anything anyway. I just tried their sites one day and I was hidden from public searches. I never came up when I did before- on all the sites.

These companies seemed to do pretty good on tracking my past address except there was one I never lived at. If you move it probably wouldn't take them long to track that down too. It's actually scary the amount of info they've collected on you- even though some of it was incorrect for me.

I can't stand the thought of someone nosy or vindictive snooping around gathering info on me- especially about my past. Yes, if anyone looks hard and long enough they can gather tons of info about you. I just want to try to make it a little harder for people.

One of the forms that I printed out requires evidence of address and listed acceptable types of evidence, none of which I had at the time. That was a few weeks ago. I plan to do all of these forms at once, so I will wait a bit.

I think it's funny that I share a last name with the people who owned the UPS Store where my old mailbox is. They are listed as relatives on a couple of information sites. I have no intention of altering that. The more obfuscation, the better.

I am going to ask these companies to take down listings in my current name, but it has occurred to me that I ought to have my old listing removed, too. I hope I have sufficient identification to do that. I have to hunt up those forms...I'm in the process of cleaning up my desk, and the forms are in one of the piles I haven't sorted yet. Gah.

I forgot about that. There's just so much to do and paperwork to change your name & gender and try to keep your past as confidential as possible to not out yourself that I sometimes forget what I had to do for each thing. :P

Quote from: Arch on May 31, 2011, 07:38:38 PMI think it's funny that I share a last name with the people who owned the UPS Store where my old mailbox is. They are listed as relatives on a couple of information sites. I have no intention of altering that. The more obfuscation, the better.

Yeah, they had aliases for me that weren't true. I didn't have them fix them because, like you said, the more mistakes the more unreliable the info is. It helps people realize that the info they find isn't the complete truth which helps with real past names.

Quote from: Arch on May 31, 2011, 07:38:38 PMI am going to ask these companies to take down listings in my current name, but it has occurred to me that I ought to have my old listing removed, too.

I had them remove my current and all past names. Thankfully I just listed them to them and didn't have to fill a separate thing out for each name. They removed (or publicly hid) all my names- past & current.

I purposely saved a photocopy of my F driver's license since I knew I had to surrender it when I changed my name.  Figure I could use it to remove her name from the searches too.


Jay

Quote from: sneakersjay on June 05, 2011, 07:28:34 AM
I purposely saved a photocopy of my F driver's license since I knew I had to surrender it when I changed my name. Figure I could use it to remove her name from the searches too.

Jay

They actually never asked for proof or ID of my previous names.

I've kept my past Driver Licenses too (we get to keep them) just in case they're needed. It looks like I'm going to need them for changing my name on the house's Deed of Trust. I found out last night from a real estate specialist you can't transfer the deed or even sell the house until your name is revised on the deed. Yet another thing to take care of. ::)

Every time I think I'm done I learn of something else that needs to be changed too. Oh well, better to learn about them and do them now than find out the hard way..

In my state, too, we get to keep expired driver's licenses. I think I kept an old one from before my name change--this would have been 1996--and I kept all the ones with my new name and the female marker. Jay's solution is smart when you can't keep the original license. We should always photocopy any old documents we aren't allowed to keep. Then put the copies in a safe place. I keep all of my stuff in a 9 by 12 envelope in a fire resistant safe.

Radar, before you had your name taken out of the public eye with these companies, did you purchase copies of the info they had on file for you? I'm debating doing this. I'm particularly wondering if they identify our sex as part of the package. If they do, I might want to systematically access all of my info for these sites, correct anything I want corrected, and then request to have my name removed from free public viewing. Yet another unpleasant and tedious project to kill my free time this summer. There are too many such sites, and I'm sure I haven't found all of them yet.

No, I didn't purchase any copies. I just did searches under my current and past names. Under the searched name they would list aliases. All my aliases were listed but there were some bogus names too. They also listed possible relatives and they were all correct too.

Aside from future possible employers doing simple searches I also didn't want my ex's family snooping around trying to cause trouble (sad but true).

For the simple search it didn't list my gender but they do have generic male and female icons with your name(s). Mine was male. ;D I don't know if the bought info says it or not.

I'm going off the hopes that future possible employers will be too lazy and/or cheap to get paid copies. I think if you seem like a decent, honest, hard working and talented person they probably wouldn't suspect anything. If simple confirmations are legit like past employers & references, Social Security & DMV info, etc. then that's probably good enough. The exception might be government jobs- especially those needing clearance.

From my research it seem those 4 sites were the main sites. Any other companies who offer this service seem to just get their info from these main 4 sites, so they're basically middle men. There might be some smaller companies out there who do their own research, but I doubt many people use them.

The exception might be government jobs- especially those needing clearance.

Well the two other, (much bigger) exceptions are a) any job that entails dealing with children, and b) any job that would give you access to money (cash or the ability to alter and shift records).  Then there is the great hidden reason, they run background/credit checks on new hires because their insurance carriers require it as part of the policy.

I guess I'm lucky then. You couldn't pay me enough to work with children. Most of the adults I work with act like spoiled children anyway. ::) With the career I'm in I don't deal with money, funds or accounting records. I have absolutely no interest in dealing with company money anyway due to the liability risks.

I actually read last week in a professional magazine I get that it's illegal for companies to do credit checks on potential employees. Companies might do it not knowing it's illegal or hoping the person doesn't know it's illegal. Government jobs might be exempt from this and this might be a new law, but it's something to remember.

Employers can, with the permission of the job applicant or employee, check credit history.  They will give you the form and of course you can refuse to fill it out.  Of course they will find someone else to hire.

Quote from: Radar on June 06, 2011, 10:04:47 AM
For the simple search it didn't list my gender but they do have generic male and female icons with your name(s).

I haven't seen any such icons on the sites I visited. Which companies did this?

Quote from: Arch on June 06, 2011, 02:07:22 PMI haven't seen any such icons on the sites I visited. Which companies did this?

Well, I checked those three and you're right- I see no icons (even though DOB Search is down).

I must have seen them on another people search site because I do remember seeing them. I searched for other people search sites awhile back to get taken off their lists too. I don't remember who they were though.

Well, if you remember which site it was, let me know. I'm still compiling a list of such sites--there are a lot of them--and I didn't see gender icons on any of them. So that means that there's at least one site out there that isn't on my list, and it might have me pegged as "F."

No, no, no.

Whatever site it was the icons were just generic silhouettes. The male silhouette was by my current name so they might just go off of name assumptions. Who knows with these site.

Maybe whatever site it was got rid of the icons? I wish I could remember the site, but I do remember it was a people searching site of some kind or a directory.

I remember a site that used generic male silhouettes...heck, maybe it was even Facebook. I don't really recall; all the people on my two friends lists either have pictures or are male.

Facebook have generic gender pictures if the user don't upload their own profile picture. The gender of the picture is based on the gender of the person chosen by the user. You have to choose a gender when registering though one can unchoose that later. I don't know what they do in that case.