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Free Credit Reports Are Not Always Free
By: Christopher M. Luck
According to an amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can obtain a
free credit report on yourself for free one time every year. However, just like
with any new law or service, there are people out there looking to take
advantage of you. So be aware of what you see when looking for your credit
report; not every service claiming to offer you a free credit report is actually
offering one.
To get your free credit report, you really only need to go to the annual credit
report website. If you go to the Federal Trade Commission’s website, you will
find all the information you really need to get your free credit report. You
only need your name, social security number, date of birth, and address to get
the free report. As easy as it is, there are still many companies out there who
want to get the business of people like you who are seeking their free credit
report.
One way these companies take advantage of people is by establishing a web
address that is very similar to the legitimate government websites for obtaining
a free credit report http://www.drakesdigest.com/category/finance-news. They
will harvest your social security number, address, and other personal
information under the claim that you will get a free credit report. Remember,
you can get one by going through the Federal Trade Commission. Be aware that you
should never have to supply a credit card number or telephone number to obtain
your free credit report. Your address, name, social security number, and date of
birth are all you need.
You should never respond to an email to get your free credit report. Remember
that that getting the report is a right you have. Some companies, in an effort
to get your personal information, will send spam emails advertising access to
your free credit report. These companies are usually just Phishing for your
personal information. Never respond to emails to get your credit report.
Instead, the information is easy to obtain through the proper government
channels that are readily available to you.
Congress has given you the right to obtain a free credit report on yourself once
every year http://www.cfcreditfreereportguide.info. The government has given you
access to the free report through the Federal Trade Commission website so that
you do not have to worry. You will get emails, see on line advertising, and even
get pop up ads that advertise free credit reports. Keep in mind, though, that
many of these companies are not interested in getting you your report as much as
they are getting a hold of your information. There is no reason to use these
companies, legitimate or not, to obtain your free credit report when you can do
it through the Federal Trade Commission. Your information is vital to your
financial well being and in the wrong hands could do a lot of damage to your
credit. In order to avoid these pitfalls, the best thing to do to get your free
credit report is to go through the government.
About the Author:
If you are interested in additional credit report articles of mine, please feel
free to visit my credit report site
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