Wife's HR dept said they'd been contacted by Equifax with "an employment and wage verification request" and are asking if it's legitimate. She hasn't authorized anything like this or had any dealings with equifax. What is this?
A bit about "The Work Number" (TWN/Equifax)
“The work number” by equifax is a database that stores employment history. Make sure you check yours!!
YSK that Equifax operates The Work Number, a database that tracks your entire job history—including teen jobs like retail or fast food—and shares personal details like paychecks with employers, background check companies, and debt collectors without your consent.
How do I contact The Work Number for employment verification?
Reach Equifax Workforce Solutions' employment verification service by calling 1-800-996-7566 (Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. CST) or TTY at 1-800-424-0253 for deaf callers. Verifiers and employees can also access records directly at www.theworknumber.com.
Does The Work Number verify employment?
Yes - it provides instant verification of employment (VOE) and income (VOI) by pulling directly from payroll data contributed by nearly 5 million employers. However, it does not cover criminal records, professional license checks, or education verification, so most pre-hire screening workflows pair it with a dedicated background check platform.
Is The Work Number a legitimate website?
Yes - theworknumber.com is the official portal for Equifax Workforce Solutions' employment verification database, which has operated since 1995 and holds over 823 million employee records. All verifiers must register and demonstrate a permissible purpose under the FCRA before accessing any data.
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We bought a house about two months ago but otherwise haven't done anything with credit in a long while. We have no idea what this is or why they would be requesting it of her employers.
What do we need to do to make sure this isn't identity theft and if so it's not successful?