illegal obtaining of my information?

are you sure they are calling for you? Are they asking for you by your name?

Some versions of your credit report do contain phone numbers...when I was collecting the version we got often had a number included.

We used to pay for the phone # on credit reports, it costs like 10 cents extra per report. I found most of them inaccurate and/or disconnected, so I had Transunion stop including those on our credit reports.

Nonetheless, you need to keep in mind the bureaus are a data warehouse. They don't only report phone #'s that you give them directly; they also give out phone #'s they obtain on you thru their normal course of business. For example, if you fill out a credit application and put your phone # on it -- if that lender pulls your credit, they might also report your phone # to the bureaus as part of the inquiry. In that case, Transunion (or the other burs) has your new phone # and will provide it to anyone who pulls your credit report.

they called for me. it is a very old debt? what should I think of this, what should I do? thank you for your advice.

have you received anything in writing from them recently? Within the past few years? What is the name of the collection company calling you? It is unlikely AMEX still holds this debt.

Here's something scary. I'm a loan officer and the credit report that I pull here, will list every phone number and address you have ever listed. It also list every place you have ever worked!

Now that's scary.

I also pull credit reports. We can see everything :shock:

wow I had no idea! I thought what we saw was what lenders saw?

What other sorts of things do you see that the average consumer doesn't?