Warning: Imposter Credit Report Internet Sites
Only one web site is authorized for ordering a no-cost annual report
Federal Trade Commission
When ordering a copy of your credit report, be wary of imposter Internet sites that are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report program. You may be unwittingly agreeing to fees charged to your credit card.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. However, there are web sites that try to disguise themselves as the bona fide ordering site.Here is some advice from the Federal Trade Commission on how to spot the imposter sites:
Know the authorized site. Only one web site is authorized to fill orders for a free annual credit report under law. It is www.annualcreditreport.com.
Be wary of other offers about “free” reports. Other web sites that claim to offer “free credit reports” or “free credit monitoring” are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report program.
Watch for credit card charges. In some cases, the “free” product comes with strings attached. For example, some sites sign you up for a supposedly “free” service that converts to one you have to pay for after a trial period. If you don’t cancel during the trial period, you may be unwittingly agreeing to let the company start charging fees to your credit card.
Look for misspellings. Some imposter sites use terms like “free report” in their name; others have URLs that purposely misspell annualcreditreport.com in the hope that you will mistype the name of the official site. Some of those imposter sites direct you to other sites that try to sell you something or collect personal information.
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