Free Credit Report

There is a bit of misunderstanding going around regarding free credit reports: you can get a free credit score too. In reality, this isn’t true. If you go to the three credit reporting agencies, they are required to furnish your credit report to you for free. If you want your credit score, you will have to pay for it. There is a difference, so let’s examine just what they are.

A free credit report is available to you through each of the Big 3 credit reporting bureaus. Trans Union, Experian, and Equifax have been authorized by an act of Congress to supply a copy of your credit report to you once per year. If you order more than one copy from the same company within that year you will pay for that report. In addition, if you want your free credit score, you won’t get one: for free, that is. Instead, expect to pay a separate fee of approximately $4 to $7 per agency to get your credit score. So, it isn’t a free credit score, but it won’t cost you a bundle either.

On the other hand, there are companies marketing free credit scores as part of their package of selling to you copies of your credit reports. In these cases you pay for what is already free and get free what really should cost you money. Are you confused yet? Well, don’t be: essentially you are getting both the credit report and the free credit score as part of the package. In any event, you are likely paying more for the combined service than if you did the work yourself. Again, it is a service so expect to shell out some money if you opt to go the free credit score with credit report route.

For consumers wanting a free credit report, than a visit to AnnualCreditReport.com is in order. Again, in this case your credit report will be free but don’t look for a free credit score. The previously mentioned $4 to $7 fee will be charged to your credit card.

As with so many things, shop around and read the fine print. Remember, companies do provide a service by offering reports and scores to you. For some consumers this is a great way to “remember” to get copies of their reports and scores when someone else is doing the work for them. In any case, make certain that you obtain a copy of your credit report and scores today regardless of whether you choose to do it yourself or have someone do it for you.

Copyright 2006 - For additional information regarding Matt Keegan, The Article Writer, please visit his blog for wit, quips, and freelance writing tips.

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Just the Start?

According to some sources, you can get a free credit report online anytime. But is this online credit report really free? The answer, really, is yes and no. You can actually get one for free, but with many services, you have to give the site all kinds of personal information. Once they have your personal information, you’ll can expect to receive numerous solicitations from then on, or perhaps (if they obtain your address) send you junk mail or annoying marketing phone calls. Unfortunately, often a free credit report online is really not free at all. The providing service will usually make you sign up for some offer, perhaps with a trial membership to a service that traces your credit and looks for irregularities, or they’ll ask that you sign up for services that are totally unrelated to your free online credit report.

Why You Should Get One Now

Signing up for a free credit report online might also be worth it if you can find a way to get one that’s low cost or cheap. And there are some instances where this is possible. Whatever, you are advised to see your credit report earliest, as all kinds of financial transactions affect your credit score. Remember that time you forgot to pay the newspaperman that last ten dollars when you changed addresses? That damaged your credit! The same thing with that time you made a late credit card payment. All of these things can and do hurt your credit, and will show up in your free credit report online. If, however, you don’t get to see your credit report, chances are you’ll probably never know about these problems until someday you go looking for credit. Therefore, taking all of the above into account, it’s probably wise to spend at least some money and get your free credit report online, if only to put your mind at rest.

Don’t Wait UnTil It’s Too Late

Another reason you might want to get your free credit report online is to prevent the possibility of identity theft. For all you know someone could be stealing your credit information right under your nose. They could, in fact, be using your name and identity to buy cellular phones or order credit cards. They could even be renting homes, pretending that everything is in your name. It happens every day, and it could happen to you. The first step to stop these egregious and destructive identity thefts is to get your free credit report online, so that at least you’ll know if it is happening. Actually getting your credit restored is much more difficult after the event, so it’s important that you get a free credit report online to track whether anything like this is happening right now.

Call To Action!

Restoring your credit once your identity has been stolen can take considerable time and money, not to mention stress. Basically, you have to prove to your supposed creditors that it was not you who bought whatever goods and services were obtained in your name. This is no easy task, and can take at least six months to a year. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!

Free Credit Report Online - Situation Report! The very latest about free credit reports, identity theft, and why you should get your free credit report online today. Copyright © Matthew Middlemiss. All Rights Reserved. Please note: This Resource Box MUST be included with article.

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The growth of technology has not only led to hi-tech development but also has given rise to hi-tech scams. Did you ever suspect that fake credit report sites could take advantage of your personal information? It could, and this high-tech scam is called “phishing.”

Do you get unsolicited emails offering credit reports online? You have to exercise caution here, as these sites could well steal your personal details. Then what? Do they make use of your credit report information? They just might! Or they may pass it to others who commit fraud or identity theft. These deceptive websites may coax you into disclosing your bank account numbers, social security information and other confidential details.

You would do yourself a great favor if you follow these precautions before answering emails that offer free credit report:

I. Do Not Click on the Link: Did you receive a free credit report offer? If you did, do not click on the link below. Try to obtain pertinent details by contacting the company over phone.

II. Look Out for Misspellings: Does the web address contain grammatical errors? It might not be an error at all, just the misspelled version of the legitimate company.

III. Beware of Manipulation: Does the company’s web address really take you to the sender’s site? Beware of the fact that manipulation by the sender could take you to a different web address.

IV. Check for Credibility: Do you receive emails from domains other than .com? Then, you have to be skeptical. .com enjoys credibility that other domains do not.

V. Ensure the Site is Secure: Have you ever checked for lock icons in the browser’s status bar? Secondly, have you checked for http in the website’s URL? These are essentialities that point out that a particular site is secure.

VI. Monitor Your Credit Report: Check your credit card statements continuously to ensure that they contain no unauthorized changes.

VII. Don’t Provide Personal Information: Are you being pestered for excessive personal information, like passport details? If you are, you have reasons to be suspicious.

VIII. Identity of the Site Owner: Are you having your own doubts about the identity of the site owner? Then, check for the owner of the site using a “whois” search.

IX. Contact Secret Service: If you are suspicious about the activities of the sender, contact the US secret service and the FTC. Do you have reasons to believe that you have been scammed? Then, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov. You may also pay a visit to FTC’s Identity Theft Web site to get tips on minimizing damages from identity theft.

Your act of precaution does not end with ascertaining the credibility of the sender. As a responsible citizen, you are required to contact the secret service with your suspicions and evidence.

http://www.creditreportkb.com is a site that provides details on various topics like annual credit report, business credit report, credit repair services and many more.

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