Which documents does CreditRefresh ask for, and what happens to them?
CreditRefresh may ask for an ID front and back, an SSN card, proof of address, or an identity theft report. You only need to upload these if you choose RushMail to mail a bureau dispute letter for you, since bureaus require proof of identity for mailed disputes. Printing and mailing your own letters requires no uploads. What you upload is used only to verify your identity with the bureaus.
What documents CreditRefresh can request
The app can ask for up to five document types, chosen from a Document type dropdown when you upload:
- ID (front)
- ID (back)
- SSN card
- Proof of address
- Identity theft report (if your dispute is identity-theft related)
Do you actually need to upload anything?
Only if you choose RushMail's mail partner delivery for a bureau dispute letter. Bureaus generally require proof of identity from whoever files a dispute by mail, so when RushMail mails a bureau letter on your behalf, it appends your ID front, ID back, and proof of address to that mailing. An SSN card is optional and only needed in some cases. An identity theft report only applies if your dispute is based on identity theft. If you print and mail your own letters, you do not need to upload anything at all.
Documents are never sent with creditor letters
Identity documents only get appended to bureau dispute letters, since that's where a bureau's identity-verification rules apply. They are never attached to letters sent to a creditor or collector.
How to upload a document
You can upload from any of three places in the app:
- Settings, under the Account tab: pick a Document type from the dropdown, choose a file, then click Upload.
- The Documents page: the same upload flow, plus an explanation of why bureaus need proof of identity.
- Upload from your phone: a button on the Documents page that opens a QR code. Scan it with your phone to open a camera page and upload a photo directly from your phone, which is handy if your ID or SSN card isn't already scanned on your computer.
Uploads are entirely up to you. Nothing gets requested or pulled automatically, and you control what you add and when. Once a file finishes uploading, it's on file immediately, you don't need to wait for a review step before RushMail can use it on your next mail-for-me order.
Do you need to re-upload for every round?
No. A document you've already uploaded stays on file for future dispute rounds. You'd only upload again if a document expired, changed (a new address, for example), or you want to replace a low-quality scan or photo with a clearer one.
What happens to your documents
CreditRefresh's own note on the Documents page states it plainly: your documents are stored securely and only used to verify your identity with the credit bureaus. They're retained under the CreditRefresh privacy policy unless you request deletion.
Related articles
Signup asks for the last four SSN digits, while provider identity verification is a separate form requiring the full nine-digit SSN, date of birth and phone. Use only the secure CreditRefresh form and follow the text-message link if one is presented.
CreditRefresh protects your data with encrypted HTTPS connections, encryption at rest, AES-256 encryption on the full copy of each credit report in the CreditRefresh database, and card payments tokenized by the payment processor. CreditRefresh does not sell your personal information for money. In Settings you can turn on two-factor authentication, download your data and delete your account.
RushMail prints and mails a reviewed round through a separate paid order. Open the existing round's RushMail card, review the letters and total, then use Pay & send.
Documents that prove your claim make a dispute harder to brush off: bank statements showing an on-time payment, a paid-in-full letter, a settlement agreement, or an FTC identity theft report. Under FCRA Section 611, the bureau must consider all relevant information you submit and forward it to the furnisher. Send copies, never originals.