Q: I recently pulled my credit report and noticed that the Social Security Administration was one of the entities that requested my credit report. Why would the SSA request my credit information?
—Edward Kelly, Grayson
A: The Social Security Administration uses Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus, to help verify identities when people create accounts on socialsecurity.gov. "We will not share your Social Security number with Experian. Experian will only keep the information we share for the period of time required for federal laws, regulations, or guidelines," the SSA states on its website. It states that the request is known as a "soft inquiry," which does not affect your credit score, "incur any charges related to them" and is hidden from lenders. Experian "will generally" remove the soft inquiry from your credit report after 25 months. It doesn't appear on credit reports from Equifax or TransUnion, the SSA states. More information can be found at Socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
Q: If I were to drive from Georgia to Colorado, could I buy the legalized marijuana they’re selling there?
—Eddie Webster, Douglasville
A: Adults (21 years old and older) who are not residents of Colorado can buy up to one-quarter ounce of legalized marijuana at a time. State residents with a Colorado ID can buy up to 1 ounce of marijuana. Marijuana has been sold at specially licensed stores in Colorado since New Year's Day.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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