The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a reasonably recent law that was passed by the government that allows each person to get a free credit report annually. This law came about because of the alarming increase in identity theft. Your free credit reports are typically available by ordering them online, thru a toll free number, or by mail and you can order your credit reports from all 3 of the credit reporting companies - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

The Only Official Website for Requesting Your credit Report

You should not have to stress about free credit report scams because the 3 credit reporting agencies have set-up an official internet site, annualcreditreport.com, where you can order your free credit report once each 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 Scams

With this recent law and the ease at which you can safely request your credit reports, there should be no free credit report cons. Unfortunately, most of the people don’t know about their rights and so they search on the internet for free credit reports. The identity thieves and tricksters have taken advantage of unaware people by building their own credit report websites to con you.

These free credit report con internet sites typically 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 which will offer you free credit reports but they might ask you for private information like your Social Security ID or your credit card information.

Some of these con sites will use this information to rob your identity and leave you with debts and other legal issues. Others, while not really illegal, will trick you into a cost-free trial and then charge your credit card for a once a month charge after the free trial has finished. Please do not fall for these scam sites; use the official contact information above.

What to Look out For so You Don’t Get Conned

Some of the trick sites will try to trick you by employing a corresponding name to the official free credit report site; in other words they can register a website domain name very close to the official annualcreditreport.com site. They do this in the hope that someone will make a spelling mistake while typing in the address. Other trick sites will use the name “free credit scores”, “free credit reports”, or “free credit monitoring” in their domain names - they are potentially scams.

Other cons involve the use of e-mail or telephone. The tricksters will say that they’re from either the annualcreditreport.com site or from one of the 3 credit reporting agencies. They are going to ask you for private info or they can direct you thru a link in the e-mail to a bogus credit report site. Don’t give out any private information over the telephone unless you were the one who started the call, and don’t click on any links in email from these kind of free credit report offers. Also, be conscious of pop ups, when browsing the web, that offer you free credit reports.

Request Your Free Credit Reports

Don’t forget to always order your credit reports by using the official contact information above. The web is a superb source of information but it is also home to a bunch of good for nothing trick artists looking to make a quick buck. One reason to order your credit reports each year is to keep an eye peeled for any unusual activity that could mean you are a victim of I. D. theft. Another reason is to test your reports for any info that is incorrect that might have effects on your credit score - you can and should attempt to increase your credit score.

Now that you know the way to request 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 services or companies.

Tags: Identity Theft