U.S. Law Provides for Free Annual Credit Report- How to Get Yours

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act require the three nationwide credit reporting agencies to provide you with a free copy of your credit report at your request every twelve month period. This is because it is recommended that each consumer review their credit report at least that often as a preventative measure against identity fraud.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website reveals that this means you as a consumer can recieve one report from each company- three reports total- without cost every twelve months. To do so may even be preferrable since the three companies use different sources for their information and may therefore report it differently. The three nationwide credit reporting agencies are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

For a complete explanation of your rights under the FCRA and the FACT, the FTC has provided a brochure entitled "Your Access to Free Credit Reports". This brochure can be read online at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre34.shtm.

So how do you get yours? You have three options. The three nationwide reporting agencies have set up these options as a way of centralizing operations for the three. For each of them, you will be asked which specific company you want to recieve your report from. You can choose one or all three.

The three options for ordering your free credit report are as follows: via the internet by visiting www. annualcreditreport.com , via telephone by calling 1-877-322-8228, or by completing the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. The FTC stresses that you should not contact the three agencies directly. They are offering the free annual credit report only through these options.

Also, be aware when ordering online that you are not fooled by imposter sites. This offer is available only through www.annualcreditreport.com. Check the URL in your browser carefully to make sure it is not misspelled. And avoid sites that offer free credit reports under the condition of a monthly fee, or who send you email, or call you on the phone. Also, if you get a pop-up ad while on a site, it is probably a scam. If any of this should happen to you in the course of obtaining your free credit report, report it immediately to the FTC at spam@uce.gov.

Once you recieve your free credit report from one or all three of the nationwide credit reporting agencies, you must wait a full twelve month period before you will again become eligible for a free report. So do you know what's on your credit report?