If the proliferation of "Free Annual Credit Report" websites on the Internet confuses you, it's no surprise. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) notes that websites masquerading as government sites generate big business from consumers who don't know where to turn to legitimately view their credit reports. These imposter sites supply credit reports and credit scores to consumers with hidden costs attached or force consumers to sign up for a "free trial" of the company's financial services. Acting in accordance with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act, the three major consumer reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) act in concert to provide a government-authorized, centralized website for you to access your three credit reports--without catchy jingles or "free trials" attached.
Step 1
Make sure you are eligible to view your free credit reports. According to the FTC, you can receive copies of your free annual credit reports once every 12 months. However, you may also receive complimentary credit reports if a company takes "adverse action" against you. For example, you may have filled out a credit card application that was denied, or a potential employer may have refused to hire you based on information in one of your credit reports. In this case, you are entitled to a free credit report from the consumer reporting agency that provided the information, as long as it is requested within 60 days.
Step 2
Visit AnnualCreditReport.com to view your credit reports. The FTC warns that imposter sites rely on your inadvertent misspelling of the site name to redirect you to an unauthorized source of "free" credit reports, so enter the URL carefully.
Step 3
Select your state of residence from the drop-down menu on the AnnualCreditReport.com homepage. You will be routed to a secure form that you must fill out prior to viewing your report. Supply your name, date of birth, Social Security number and current address. If you've resided at your current address for less than two years, you'll be required to enter your former address. After you enter your personal information, one last prompt in "check box" format will ask you which of your credit reports you specifically wish to view.
Step 4
Opt to view your credit reports from all three consumer reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion). Alternately, you may opt to access only one of your credit reports during your viewing session. This may be helpful if you're concerned about improving your overall credit history. For example, examining your free Experian credit report first may help you identify and troubleshoot areas of concern that are likely to be reflected in your Equifax or TransUnion credit reports as well, such as a history of slow or skipped payments. You can then view your Equifax and TransUnion credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com at a later date.
Step 5
Call (877) 322-8228 to have your free credit report(s) mailed to you if you are uncomfortable sending your private information over the Internet. You may also print out the request form at AnnualCreditReport.com (you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer), fill it out and mail it to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
The government-authorized site notes that credit reports will be mailed to you within 15 days after receiving your call or processing your mailed request form, so you should receive the information in two or three weeks.
Tips and Warnings
- You can get a free annual credit report, but to see your credit scores, you will have to pay a small fee to each consumer reporting agency as established by the FTC (as of December 2009, Experian and Equifax charged $7.95 and TransUnion $5.95). You can order your credit scores through AnnualCreditReport.com as well.
- If you receive email from a site purporting to let you view credit reports at a government site or see a pop-up ad on your computer, don't take the bait. The FTC states that neither AnnualCreditReport.com nor the three consumer reporting agencies will ever call you, contact you by email or use pop-up ads--these tactics may be an attempt to gain access to your personal information. If you receive an email from an imposter site, forward it to the FTC at spam@uce.gov.
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