I don't know how credible this is, but "The Work Number" (owned by Equifax) put this on an FAQ about this nefarious service:
Can just anyone get my income information from The Work Number?
No. You have to give someone authorization to get your income information from the service. There are numerous ways in which you can give someone authorization to access your income information. A few examples - by signing a borrower's authorization form when applying for a loan or by creating a salary key on our service, a one-time electronic signature.
Can just anyone get my income information from The Work Number?
No. You have to give someone authorization to get your income information from the service. There are numerous ways in which you can give someone authorization to access your income information. A few examples - by signing a borrower's authorization form when applying for a loan or by creating a salary key on our service, a one-time electronic signature.
More at: http://www.theworknumber.com/Employees/Help/faq.asp?category...