How can I get my truly FREE credit reports?

[Danesailman]

I have heard so much hype about free credit reports and personally Im frustrated with it all because everytime I try to get my credit reports from any of the credit bureaus experian, Equifax or transunion i somehow sign up for a membership I just dont want. Can someone please tell me how to get my free credit reports?

By the way, great blog; i just stumbled it and gave you a thumbs up!

Dan

[Credit Expert]

How to get your Truly Free Credit Reports

In 2003, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA) gave every consumer the right to view
their credit reports from each credit bureau for absolutely free. Since then, a host of “free credit report”
sites have popped up.

Most popular is freecreditreport.com, the one with the catchy jingle, that “monitors your credit and sends
you email alerts, so you don’t wind up selling fish to tourists in t-shirts.” Unfortunately, many consumers
have found out the hard way that credit reports at freecreditreport.com and similar sites aren’t so free
after all.

What’s a Credit Report?

Your credit report is a compilation of your credit accounts and related information like when the account
was opened, the account balance, and how timely your payments have been. Credit reports are
maintained by credit reporting agencies a.k.a. credit bureaus.

There are three major credit bureaus in the United States – Equifax, Experian,
and TransUnion. Typically, consumers have a credit report at each of these
credit bureaus.

Whenever you make an application for credit, creditors and lenders look at
your credit report to decide whether to approve your application. If you have
negative information – high credit card balances and several late payments –
your application may be denied.

Creditors and lenders also evaluate you based on your credit score which is a
numerical snapshot of your credit report. Credit scores range from 300 to 850
where higher credit scores are better. The information in your credit report
directly influences your credit score.

[u]History of the FACTA[/u]

The FACTA was added to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in 2003 as a
result of the increased instances of identity theft. The Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) reported that in 2002, there were about 10 million victims
of identity theft.

Many cases of identity theft go undetected until a debt collection notice or
lawsuit summons shows up at the victim’s doorstep.

So, at the urging of consumer advocates, the government adopted the
FACTA, giving consumers free access to their credit reports and thereby
allowing them to detect identity theft sooner and at no cost.

Free Credit Report Scams

Since the FACTA was put into place, a number of websites have popped up
claiming to offer free credit reports, but suckering consumers into entering
their credit card information and subscribing to a credit monitoring service.

On blogs and message boards across the internet, consumers complain of recurring credit card charges
after ordering what they thought was a free credit report. Some can’t figure out how to cancel the
subscription and end up cancelling their credit cards to escape relentless charges to their cards.

These imposter sites do in fact provide a free credit report, but only after you sign up for a trial
membership to a credit monitoring service. Your free trial may last as short as a week or as long as a
month, but, in either case, if you don’t remember to cancel the membership before the trial ends, you’ll
get charged.

In 2005, Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus and owner of freecreditreport.com, settled a
lawsuit with the FTC regarding “free” credit reports. The lawsuit claimed the bureau misled consumers
about entering credit card information for a free trial and about their association with the government’s
annual free credit report program. Experian ended up settling for $950,000.


Get Your REAL Free Credit Report for Free

The one and only place to order your government-granted free credit report at no obligation is through
http://www.annualcreditreport.com. There are more than 100 imposter websites, according to World Privacy
Forum, so you can easily be fooled. Annualcreditreport.com does not require you to sign up for any trial
service, nor does it request your credit card information.

To avoid scams, click the link above or type the web address directly into your internet browser, making
sure not to misspell it. Secure links can also be found at trusted sites like the FTC.

You can also order your annual credit report by telephone by calling 877-322-8228.







------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Credit Expert]

How to get your Truly Free Credit Reports

In 2003, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA) gave every consumer the right to view
their credit reports from each credit bureau for absolutely free. Since then, a host of “free credit report”
sites have popped up.

Most popular is freecreditreport.com, the one with the catchy jingle, that “monitors your credit and sends
you email alerts, so you don’t wind up selling fish to tourists in t-shirts.” Unfortunately, many consumers
have found out the hard way that credit reports at freecreditreport.com and similar sites aren’t so free
after all.

What’s a Credit Report?

Your credit report is a compilation of your credit accounts and related information like when the account
was opened, the account balance, and how timely your payments have been. Credit reports are
maintained by credit reporting agencies a.k.a. credit bureaus.

There are three major credit bureaus in the United States – Equifax, Experian,
and TransUnion. Typically, consumers have a credit report at each of these
credit bureaus.

Whenever you make an application for credit, creditors and lenders look at
your credit report to decide whether to approve your application. If you have
negative information – high credit card balances and several late payments –
your application may be denied.

Creditors and lenders also evaluate you based on your credit score which is a
numerical snapshot of your credit report. Credit scores range from 300 to 850
where higher credit scores are better. The information in your credit report
directly influences your credit score.

[u]History of the FACTA[/u]

The FACTA was added to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in 2003 as a
result of the increased instances of identity theft. The Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) reported that in 2002, there were about 10 million victims
of identity theft.

Many cases of identity theft go undetected until a debt collection notice or
lawsuit summons shows up at the victim’s doorstep.

So, at the urging of consumer advocates, the government adopted the
FACTA, giving consumers free access to their credit reports and thereby
allowing them to detect identity theft sooner and at no cost.

Free Credit Report Scams

Since the FACTA was put into place, a number of websites have popped up
claiming to offer free credit reports, but suckering consumers into entering
their credit card information and subscribing to a credit monitoring service.

On blogs and message boards across the internet, consumers complain of recurring credit card charges
after ordering what they thought was a free credit report. Some can’t figure out how to cancel the
subscription and end up cancelling their credit cards to escape relentless charges to their cards.

These imposter sites do in fact provide a free credit report, but only after you sign up for a trial
membership to a credit monitoring service. Your free trial may last as short as a week or as long as a
month, but, in either case, if you don’t remember to cancel the membership before the trial ends, you’ll
get charged.

In 2005, Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus and owner of freecreditreport.com, settled a
lawsuit with the FTC regarding “free” credit reports. The lawsuit claimed the bureau misled consumers
about entering credit card information for a free trial and about their association with the government’s
annual free credit report program. Experian ended up settling for $950,000.


Get Your REAL Free Credit Report for Free

The one and only place to order your government-granted free credit report at no obligation is through
http://www.annualcreditreport.com. There are more than 100 imposter websites, according to World Privacy
Forum, so you can easily be fooled. Annualcreditreport.com does not require you to sign up for any trial
service, nor does it request your credit card information.

To avoid scams, click the link above or type the web address directly into your internet browser, making
sure not to misspell it. Secure links can also be found at trusted sites like the FTC.

You can also order your annual credit report by telephone by calling 877-322-8228.







------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Credit Expert]

Good Question:

Option 1 – AnnualCreditReport.com

www.AnnualCreditReport.com is the ONLY authorized source to get your free annual credit report under federal law. The Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees you access to a free credit report from each of the three nationwide reporting agencies — Experian, Equifax and Trans-Union — every twelve months. You can request your free reports online, by phone or by mail. Visit AnnualCreditReport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or fill out the Annual Credit Report Request form and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. No matter how you request your report, you have the option to request all three reports at once or to order one report at a time. By requesting the reports separately, you can monitor your credit more frequently throughout the year. Remember, you may only request your free report from each of the 3 bureaus ONCE per year and you will if requesting online, you will be asked to verify information and directed to all 3 credit reporting agencies individually.

Important Note: You do not receive your credit scores at AnnualCreditReport.com unless you pay for them individually with each credit bureau.


Option 2 – Free Reports When You Try Credit Monitoring

Everyone wants their credit reports, for free and they want them now! There is so much hype about “Credit Monitoring” services such as TrueCredit.com, FreeCreditReport.com and IdentityGuard.com because for the first time in history, you are now able to view and monitor your credit reports and scores in real time. The internet has revolutionized how consumers check their credit and the credit bureaus Experian, Equifax and Trans-Union have expanded an already billion dollar business by reselling credit report data to some crafty and talented web developers. So what’s the catch, it’s free right? Wrong! Most of the credit monitoring sites we reviewed offer a free trial subscription for a period of time and start billing you a monthly fee for each month you are enrolled. Once the trial subscription is over, they fees typically range from $15-$35 per month. After testing and reviewing many of the credit monitoring offers, we believe

www.TheBestCreditReport.com

is the best choice for many reasons. The main reason is there are no strings attached. They give you all 3 REPORTS and all 3 SCORES instantly in a dashboard that is easy to understand and use. It is simple to navigate and the robust features allow you to do things that other services don’t provide. The email alerts and quarterly updates keep you up to date without digging for the information. The security features such as internet surveillance and security suite will help prevent identity theft and the insurance will help you resolve possible fraud if it ever happens to you. They give you 14 days to evaluate their credit monitoring service features and as long as you cancel within the trial period, you will NOT be billed at all. If you decide to keep the credit monitoring service, they will bill you $9.00 to $17.00 depending on the plan you choose. We feel www.TheBestCreditReport.com is the best value for your money when it comes to Credit Monitoring services and you can try it before you buy it.


Option 3 – Apply For Credit

Although it is not advised, you can always apply for credit with a merchant such as a mortgage broker or auto dealership that is willing to share the information with you. Although it is a method to get your free reports, we do not advise you to do this often because it WILL impact your credit scores. It will appear that you applied for credit and the hard inquiry will remain on your reports for 2 years.


What should I look for when I review my credit report?

If you see accounts you don’t recognize or information that is inaccurate or questionable, you should visit: www.CreditAgenda.com for assistance through our Credit Improvement Services Program. If you suspect identity theft, you may need to place a fraud alert on your credit report, close compromised accounts, file a complaint with the FTC, or file a police report. Start by visiting the FTC’s identity theft website.


www.CreditAgenda.com