The Way to Avoid Online Free Credit Report Scams

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a fairly up to date law that was approved by the government that permits every citizen to get a free credit report annually. This law came about because of the worrying increase in I. D. 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 three of the credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

The Single Official Website for Ordering Your credit Report

You shouldn’t have to fret about free credit report cons because the 3 credit reporting companies have set-up an official internet site, annualcreditreport.com, where you can request your free credit report once each year. They also have a toll free number, 1-877-322-8228, and a mailing address, 1-877-322-8228. You can print out the form from the FTC’s website at ftc.gov / credit.

Free Credit Report Tricks

With this new law and the simplicity at which you can safely request your credit reports, there should be no free credit report scams. Unfortunately, most of the people don’t know about their rights and so they look online for free credit reports. The identity thieves and scam artists have taken advantage of un-informed folk by setting up their own credit report internet sites to con you.

These free credit report scam internet sites typically charge you a small fee to get your credit reports when in truth they are free. There are other fake credit report internet sites that will offer you free credit reports but they might ask you for personal info like your social security number or your credit card information.

Some of these trick sites will use this information to steal your identity and leave you with debt and other legal problems. Others, while not always illegal, will trick you into a free trial and then charge your credit card for a once a month charge after the free trial has ended. Please don’t fall for these scam sites; use the official contact details above.

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

Some of the trick sites will attempt to trick you by trying a corresponding name to the official free credit report site; in other words they will register a website domain name quitey near 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 con sites will use the name “free credit reports”, “free credit scores”, or “free credit monitoring” in their domain names – they’re possibly scams.

Other scams involve the employment 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 companies. They are going to ask you for personal information or they may direct you thru a link in the email to a bogus credit report site. Do not give out any private information over the telephone unless you were the one who instituted the call, and do not click on any links in email from these sort of free credit report offers. Also, be aware of pop-ups, when surfing the web, that offer you free credit reports.

Request Your Free Credit Reports

Remember to always order your credit reports by using the official contact data above. The web is a wonderful source of info but it is also home to a bunch of good for nothing trick artists hoping to make a fast buck. One reason to request your credit reports every year is to keep an eye open for any weird activity that would mean you’re a victim of I. D. theft. One more reason is to test your reports for any info that’s inaccurate that might affect your credit history – you can and should try and raise your credit score.

Now that you know the way to request your credit reports safely, your next task might be to Repair Your Credit by doing it yourself or read William’s report of an easy and quick way to Raise Your Credit Score by at least 135 points without using credit repair companies or services.