Get a truly free Credit Report and report errors on your Credit Report
Your credit history is compiled into a credit report by three different organizations known as credit reporting agencies or credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Ensuring that your credit report is accurate is important. As explained below, you are entitled to a free credit report once every 12 months from each of these three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies.
Under a law known as The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a credit bureau must furnish correct and complete information for businesses in credit reports sold to banks and all businesses that use this information. You have the right to know all the information in your credit report, including the source of the information in most cases. You also have the right to know the name of anyone who received your credit report in the last 12 months. In addition, you have the right to a free copy of your credit report from a credit bureau anytime your application is denied because of information supplied by the credit bureau. (But you must request a report within 30 days of receiving your denial notice.) This is in addition to a free report once a year. Finally, you have a right to add a 100-word summary explanation to your credit report if you cannot resolve the problem with the vendor.
Free Annual Credit Report
Yes, you can get a free copy of your credit report. And obtaining it is easier than you might think. However, there is a lot of misinformation about how to obtain a free credit report. Many advertisements on TV or the Internet appear to offer you a free credit report, but they really charge you hidden fees or fees for extra (and unnecessary) perks. That is because there is only one website authorized to provide you with your free credit report, which is:
Every other company or Internet site claiming to give you a free credit report actually uses the information from this website. Thus, to make any money, they must charge you something more than the credit report itself, such as providing you with more than one report a year.
Even when you go to the correct website that provides the free credit report, there is still one word of caution. These three credit report agencies are not giving you a free report out of the goodness of their hearts. The government has required them to do so. However, the three credit reporting agencies do own and sponsor the website. Therefore, expect to be asked if you want to know your credit score, which will cost you a fee. (Just click no.) Expect also, that they will ask you if you want to sign up for other services. (Again, click on the box that says no thanks.) Decline anything else they offer for a fee. Once you get past a few steps, you will be able to view and print your credit report.
When you visit this website, you view only one of the three companies' reports at a time. In other words, you are redirected to a credit report agency's website to get your free copy. You repeat the step for the other two companies. Actually, this is a good thing. All three credit reports contain basically the same information, just presented slightly different. Because you are entitled to a free report from each of them every 12 months, consider spacing out your requests to each company and review only one of the three every 4 months. That way, you can actually get three free reports a year.
Disputing Information in a Report
The free credit report contains steps to dispute any wrong information in your credit report. You can also contact the credit bureau directly, as follows:
Equifax (www.equifax.com)
To feport fraud to it, call: 1-800-525-6285
Experian (www.experian.com)
To report fraud to it, call: 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union (www.transunion.com)
To report fraud to it, call: 1-800-680-7289
Tell a Friend how to get a truly Free Credit Report
Plan to tell your friends and family about this website, or better yet, sent them a link to this page. It is one of only a few places where you are not asked to pay for information about how to really get a free credit report. (Afterall, knowing how to spot and report fraud is what this website is all about!)