Call, Don't Click for Free Credit Reports
Bankrate.com recommends calling for free credit reports instead of requesting them online.
"You can access the information online at annualcreditreport.com, but watch out -- if you don't get the Web address exactly right or if you search for terms such as "free credit report," you could get sucked in and scammed by one of the many credit report "impostors" currently inhabiting cyber world. A third method of obtaining the information is by regular mail, but you must first complete a form to send with your request and, of course, it takes longer."
Another excerpt from the article:
"The WPF investigation identified 96 known misspelled, registered domains -- 28 of which belong to Experian and other credit services such as MyFico at FairIsaac. These sites try to exploit errors in typing to deliver you to a different site with services you have to pay for. Some of these impostor sites actually claim to be www.AnnualCreditReport.com, while others take advantage of the typing error to forward information on you to search engines or advertising partners of other affiliates.
Even if you're fortunate and careful enough to get to the "real" free credit report site, you're still not out of the woods. When you visit the site you first fill in some personal information and continue to the next page. There, you have the choice of selecting one of the big three to order your report from.
Remember, you are entitled to one free report every 12 months from each of the big three credit reporting firms. You can order all three at once, which is good if you want to compare scores, or you can order one now and save the others for later on, which you may choose in order to see how scores improve or decline."
Here are the tips they gave to protect yourself as you request your free credit reports:
I'm not as paranoid as the people interviewed by BankRate.com, but as I learned when I requested my free credit reports, it's not as easy as you think it will be--and they do try to sneak a bunch of non-free services in there. I wouldn't recommend that you don't try it online, but if you do, just be sure you don't mistype annualcreditreport.com. Or even easier, just click on one of the links in this article.
For more info about the "call, don't click" rationale, visit the World Privacy Forum.
"You can access the information online at annualcreditreport.com, but watch out -- if you don't get the Web address exactly right or if you search for terms such as "free credit report," you could get sucked in and scammed by one of the many credit report "impostors" currently inhabiting cyber world. A third method of obtaining the information is by regular mail, but you must first complete a form to send with your request and, of course, it takes longer."
Another excerpt from the article:
"The WPF investigation identified 96 known misspelled, registered domains -- 28 of which belong to Experian and other credit services such as MyFico at FairIsaac. These sites try to exploit errors in typing to deliver you to a different site with services you have to pay for. Some of these impostor sites actually claim to be www.AnnualCreditReport.com, while others take advantage of the typing error to forward information on you to search engines or advertising partners of other affiliates.
Even if you're fortunate and careful enough to get to the "real" free credit report site, you're still not out of the woods. When you visit the site you first fill in some personal information and continue to the next page. There, you have the choice of selecting one of the big three to order your report from.
Remember, you are entitled to one free report every 12 months from each of the big three credit reporting firms. You can order all three at once, which is good if you want to compare scores, or you can order one now and save the others for later on, which you may choose in order to see how scores improve or decline."
Here are the tips they gave to protect yourself as you request your free credit reports:
- Free is free: If you have to supply a credit card or checking account number, it means you're going to pay. You may get the initial credit report for free, but you may also be signing up for a continuing service at a price.
- No junk mail: Don't respond to e-mail offers for free credit reports -- they're almost always spam.
- Be secure: Always be sure you're on a secured Web site when entering your personal information.
- Keep it secret: When phoning the toll free number (877-322-8228) for a free credit report, ask that only the last four digits of your Social Security number are displayed on the reports to be mailed to you.
- Reduce solicitations: Don't give out your e-mail address to obtain a federally mandated free credit report -- it is not required.
- Run from pop-ups: If you do choose to go online to https://www.AnnualCreditReport.com and see pop-up ads, or if the site is not secure, close your browser and start over. Secure sites will have a padlock logo in the corner, and the address will begin with https:// instead of just http://.
- Check and uncheck: If you go online to https://www.AnnualCreditReport.com, be sure to look for any pre-checked marketing or newsletter offers. If you decide you do not want these offers, uncheck the box.
I'm not as paranoid as the people interviewed by BankRate.com, but as I learned when I requested my free credit reports, it's not as easy as you think it will be--and they do try to sneak a bunch of non-free services in there. I wouldn't recommend that you don't try it online, but if you do, just be sure you don't mistype annualcreditreport.com. Or even easier, just click on one of the links in this article.
For more info about the "call, don't click" rationale, visit the World Privacy Forum.
posted by Dave at 5:46 PM
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