TransUnion guidetolenders.com TransUnion sent an email (subject "Loan tip") with a link to a website that illegally harassed us to to force us to accept loans
TransUnion gets kickbacks from "loan aggregators" who list lenders and try to get website viewers to accept loans. The simple box "VIEW OFFERS" in TransUnion's "Loan tip" email led to a nightmare website (guidetolenders.com) listing lenders, interest rates, etc. Within 3 seconds of viewing the site, my cell phone began to ring.
The first caller, Lending Point, used a falsified caller ID and insisted that my husband's loan was in process and could only be stopped if she spoke to him. He is disabled and was asleep, besides which I did not click on ANYTHING on the guidetolenders.com website. I did not give ANYONE permission to access my husband's credit or start a loan application.
I called the company's actual phone number (there was no loan) and had the dishonest and fraudulent call escalated to their QA Dept. I just hung up on the other callers. In less than four minutes after clicking on TransUnion's SEE OFFERS link, we had seven emails from these companies, stating that the loan is "being processed." WHAT LOAN???
I had simply been redirected to a loan aggregators website from a TransUnion email that had "tips" for my husband. I have POA and handle our finances. If I had known that the website belonged to a "loan aggregator" or that the loan companies would begin harassing us, I would not have clicked on TransUnion's link. Take-away: DO NOT OPEN EMAILS FROM TRANSUNION, AND CERTAINLY DO NOT CLICK ON LINKS WITHOUT RIGHT-CLICKING AND READING THEM TO CHECK THEM FIRST.
TransUnion betrayed our trust by colluding with this loan aggregator and its clients in return for kickbacks for successful loans. They even admit that in the fine print. TU has ALL of our information, and they are not careful with whom they share it. Shame on TransUnion for selling us out, for defaming themselves by contracting with companies that employ criminal tactics, and for using our lawfully provided information to get a few bucks in kickbacks, meanwhile leaving us swinging in the wind being harassed by their 3rd party partners.