Has ANYONE heard of credit bureau(experian) asking questions about jobs 25 yrs.ago?

Daughter lost phone.When passed the phone Dad was aked about 23-26 year old jobs,banks,marital partners! What happened to 7 years? Is this for real? When I asked they said identity thieves would not know this stuff. I cannot believe that credit decisions are based on answers to 2-3 decade old info.Is this normal? Legal? Thanks