Find out how some websites are fighting back against free credit report scams. The FTC and others are still trying to get the word out that everyone has a right to a copy of the free credit reports once a year without having to pay any fees or sign up for any kind of services.
It was back in September of 2005 that the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) had made it a requirement that the three major credit bureaus provide all consumers a free copy of their credit report on a yearly basis. Since that time the Internet has been plagued with companies who all offer to show you your free credit reports, only to find out that they want you to agree to sign up for their credit monitoring service or pay to view your credit score before they will show you your “free” credit reports. Unfortunately most consumers are not aware of the rights provided to them through the FCRA and agree to sign up with one of these companies, not knowing that they could have received free copies of all three of their credit reports without any obligations tied to it.
Under federal law the only authorized place to receive your free annual credit reports is AnnualCreditReport.com. This site was created by the three major credit bureaus and will allow you to request a free copy of your credit report directly from each of the credit bureaus once every twelve months. You can either request all three of them at the same time, or spread them out over a twelve month period so you are able to review your credit more often.
But the Federal Trade Commission has been receiving many complaints from consumers who thought they were getting their free credit reports, only to ending up paying hidden fees or signing up for unwanted services. Even the Better Business Bureau has been swamped with complaints as new companies are created almost every day with hopes of getting a piece of the financial pie that the term, free credit report, can bring to them.
Recently the FTC has waged its own war against these free credit report imposters by displaying a video ad suggesting people visit AnnualCreditReport.com if they want to view their free credit reports. The video mocks the advertisements we have all become so familiar with from freecreditreport.com which displays a small band playing a funny jingle about credit. If you have not seen the videos yet you can either visit the FTC website or check it out on YouTube. There are also other websites out there like FreeOnlineCreditGuide.com that can teach you about how to view, monitor, and repair your credit without having to pay any fees or sign up for any kind of services. Please beware of the many imposter sites that are out there looking to take advantage of the average consumer.
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