The Absolutely Free Credit Report
About AbsolutelyFreeCreditReport.net – A Message from Lorelle
Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to visit. My name is Lorelle, and I am a mother of four boys (all under 6) living in northern New Jersey. A few years ago, I was on a mission to clean up my credit report, and the first place I wanted to start was with the real, no BS - no credit card needed - no strings attached, "FREE credit report" that the FTC says all Americas are entitled to once a year. Well, let me tell you, the search engines are full of traps and scammer companies, who try to lure people like me, who just want an "ABSOLUTELY free credit report" without their "credit score and monitoring service". I created this to site share the facts (and warning signs) that I learned, which helped me steer clear of the offers that are too good to be true. Please use my contact form if you want to reach me or have any questions. Sincerely, LorelleWhat is AnnualCreditReport.com, and how do I request a free report from them?
Annual credit report.com is a site that is sponsored and operated by the “Big 3” credit reporting agencies – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. The Federal Trade Commission is the regulatory agency that mandates and oversees this site. The site was put together as part of the mandate from the 2003 to 2005 federal law known as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FACT) which that we drafted to enable all American consumers the right to receive one free copy of their credit report from each credit reporting agency on a annual (12 month window) basis.
Do states offer certain privileges or rights to receive credit reports for free?
Federal law mandates the right for all United States citizens, as well as residents of the United States territories outside the continental US, have the right to receive a free credit report once per year through AnnualCreditReport.com. Some states offer enhanced rights and privileges that supersede those of the federal government. In all cases the reports are also free. States that offer these privileges to their residents are Vermont, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Colorado, Georgia and is Maine.
What other sites offer Free Credit Reports?
For the purposes of getting what you ultimately want, an absolutely free credit report, you need to remember ONLY a one site: AnnualCreditReport.com. Companies spend millions of dollars each year marketing to the terms of “free credit report”, with thousands of sites that have those keywords in the URL. Do not be confused or misled any sites that sound or look like the only official site in existence, AnnualCreditReport.com…. There are thousands of smile ball websites and companies out on the web that want you to believe that “they” are the Official Free Credit Report Site.
Don’t be misled by names like “free-credit-report.com” or “MyAnnualCreditReport.com”. At the end of the day all of these companies only have one purpose, to sell you enhanced services and subscriptions, some legitimate, some perhaps not. But if you’re looking for what I like to call an “absolutely free credit report”, just remember one and only one URL: www.AnnualCreditReport.com
How often am I allowed to request free reports from AnnualCreditReport.com?
Every adult consumer is entitled to receive one credit report every 12 calendar months from each of the national credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. That means 3 reports per year in total. The free report request can be made through the website, by postal mail, or by phone.
What is the best way to order my credit reports, all three at once or one from each reporting company every few months over the 12 month period?
It is entirely up to you if you choose to order the Transunion, Equifax, or Experian reports all at once, or spaced a few months apart throughout the 12 month period. I usually recommend ordering all three at once if it’s the first time you’re undertaking a comprehensive credit review or “cleanup effort”. If you’ve already undertaken some efforts to correct, cleanup or otherwise fix discrepancies or issues in your credit file, I would advise to order one of the reports every 3 to 4 months, so you can see the progress (hopefully) being made. In any case its essential to get all three reports at least during that 12 month period because almost without exception the contents, payment histories, and other possible discrepancies are sure to exist in one but not the other, and vice versa.
How do I alert the credit reporting agencies about fraud on my file? What is an “fraud alert”?
If you suspect fraud has taken place, all three national reporting agencies are required to put a “fraud alert” on your file to let potential creditors be aware that you might be the victim of identity theft or other fraud. A fraud alert will generally make it more difficult for someone to illegally get credit in your name because it tells the creditors to follow certain procedures that are meant to protect you. These procedures may delay the decision-making process in granting you credit, as the creditors usually have to take extra steps to make certain all the facts are verified. You can place a fraud alert on your credit file by calling the reporting agencies or filing a form online. The good news is you only need to file with one company. For example if you file a fraud alert with Equifax, Equifax will notify Trans Union and Experian to also put alerts on their file.
Contact numbers and websites for the three major credit reporting agencies are:
Experian: 1-888-397-3742; www.experian.com/fraud
Equifax: 1-877-576-5734; www.alerts.equifax.com
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com
There are two types of fraud alerts. It extended alert stays on your file for seven years, and an initial fraud alert will stay on your file for a minimum of 90 days. In order to file the form for an initial fraud , you will need to supply appropriate proof of your identity which was will include your Social Security number and perhaps your drivers license or state ID. To file an extended fraud alert, you will need to provide an identity theft report. This report is an official document that must be filed with federal, state, or local municipal jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies. To get more information about how to file a negative effect on visit the FTC website at: www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/.
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