The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a fairly recent law that was approved by the government that permits each citizen to get a free credit report every year. This law came about due to the alarming increase in identity theft. Your free credit reports are generally available by ordering them online, thru a toll free number, or by mail and you can request your credit reports from all 3 of the credit reporting companies - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
The Only Official Website for Ordering Your credit Report
You shouldn't have to worry about free credit report scams because the 3 credit reporting agencies have setup an official web site, annualcreditreport.com, where you can request your free credit report once every year. They also have a toll-free number, 1-877-322-8228, and a mail address, 1-877-322-8228. You can print out the form from the FTC's web site at ftc.gov / credit.
Free Credit Report Cons
With this recent law and the simplicity at which you can securely request your credit reports, there should be no free credit report scams. Unfortunately, most of the people do not know about their rights and so they look on the net for free credit reports. The identity thieves and tricksters have taken advantage of ignorant folks by building their own credit report web sites to trick you.
These free credit report con internet sites normally charge you a little fee to get your credit reports when in truth they should be free. There are more fake credit report internet sites that will offer you free credit reports but they may ask you for private information like your SSID number or your credit card information.
A number of these scam sites will use this information to steal your identity and leave you with obligations and other legal problems. Others, while not really illegal, will trick you into a cost-free trial and then charge your credit card for a once per month charge after the free trial has ended. Please don't fall for these trick sites; use the official contact information above.
What to Keep an Eye Open For so You Do Not Get Duped
Some of the trick sites will attempt to trick you by trying a corresponding name to the official free credit report site; put simply they will register a site name terribly near to the official annualcreditreport.com site. They do this in the hope that somebody will make a typo while typing in the address. Other con sites will use the name "free credit scores", "free credit reports", or "free credit monitoring" in their web address - they are possibly tricks.
Other scams involve the utilization of e-mail or phone. The tricksters will say that they're from either the annualcreditreport.com site or from one of the three credit reporting agencies. They are going to ask you for private info or they may direct you through a link in the e-mail to a bogus credit report site. Don't give out any private info over the telephone unless you were the one that started the call, and don't click on any links in e-mail from these type of free credit report offers. Also, be aware of popups, when browsing the internet, that offer you free credit reports.
Order Your Free Credit Reports
Don't forget to always order your credit reports by employing the official contact data above. The internet is a superb source of information but it is also home to a bunch of good for nothing scam artists hoping to make a quick buck. One reason to request your credit reports every year is to keep an eye peeled for any peculiar activity that would mean you are a victim of ID theft. Another reason is to check your reports for any info that is inaccurate that would affect your credit score - you can and should try to raise your credit score.
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Now that you know how to order your credit reports safely, your next step could be to Repair Your Credit yourself or read William's review of a quick and easy method to Raise Your Credit Score by at least 135 points without using credit repair companies or services.
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