How to Spot Online Free Credit Report Scams

The Fair Credit Reporting Act FCRA is reasonably recent law that was approved by the government that allows each person to get a free credit report once a year. This law came about thanks to the alarming increase in ID theft. Your free credit reports are easily available by ordering them online through a toll free number or by mail & you can order your credit reports from all 3 of the credit reporting agencies Equifax Experian & TransUnion.

The Single Official Website for Ordering Your credit Report

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

Free Credit Report Cons

With this recent law & the ease at which you can safely request your credit reports there should be no free credit report cons. Unfortunately the majority don’t know about their rights & so they look online for free credit reports. The identity thieves & tricksters have taken advantage of ignorant folk by building their own credit report web sites to trick you.

These free credit report scam internet sites normally charge you a little fee to get your credit reports when actually they are free. There are more fake credit report internet sites that will offer you free credit reports but they may ask you for personal information like your social security number or your credit card info.

A few of these scam sites will use this information to rob your identity & leave you with debt & other legal issues. Others while not necessarily illegal will trick you into a cost-free trial & then charge your credit card for a monthly charge after the free trial has ended. Please do not fall for these scam sites; use the official contact data above.

What to Keep an Eye Open For so You Do Not Get Duped

Some of the trick sites will try & trick you by trying a corresponding name to the official free credit report site; put simply they may register a website domain name very close to the official annualcreditreport.com site. They do this in the hope that somebody will make a spelling mistake while typing in the domain. Other trick sites will use the name “free credit scores” “free credit reports” or “free credit monitoring” in their domain names they are possibly cons.

Other cons involve the use of email or phone. The tricksters will say that they are from either the annualcreditreport.com site or from one of the three credit reporting agencies. They are going to ask you for personal info or they may direct you thru a link in the email to a fraudulent credit report site. Don’t give out any personal info over the phone unless you were the one who instituted the call & 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.

Order Your Free Credit Reports

Do not forget to always order your credit reports by employing the official contact information above. The Net is wonderful source of information but it also home to a handful of good for nothing trick artists looking to make a quick buck. One reason to request your credit reports every year is to keep an eye open for any peculiar activity that might mean you’re a victim of identity theft. One more reason is to check your reports for any info that’s inaccurate that would affect your credit score you can & should attempt to increase 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 & quick way to Raise Your Credit Score by at least 135 points without using credit repair companies or services.