If you were one of the more than one million people who paid for one of those
free credit reports, then you are due a refund. Under an agreement with the FTC,
consumerinfo.com will be contacting one million previous customers about a
refund.
New language on the
main page page of the consumerinfo website now clearly states that the free report comes with an added report and a monthly fee. It does not however mention where to get help with a potential refund. However, you can call them at (202) 326-3457 if you are due a refund and have not been contacted by them. Their statement "Get a free Experian credit report when you begin a free 30-day CreditCheck® monitoring trial. If you don't cancel your membership within the 30-day trial period, you will be billed $12.00 each month that you continue your membership." cannot be misinterpreted. If you go there and get a free report, you surely will know what you are getting.Additional information on the site also clarifies and points out:
- Checking your credit report does not affect your credit score.
- Credit fraud occurs without your knowledge until the damage is already done.
- Eleven steps to protect you against credit fraud.
- The what, why and who of credit scores.
- Basic credit reporting agency information.
Additionally, their statement "This offer is not related to the free credit
report that you may be entitled to under Federal law. To obtain that free
report, you must go to
www.annualcreditreport.com." will direct you to the
website where you actually can get a free credit report. The free credit report
site allows you to get a free report once every 12 months from Equifax, Experian
and TransUnion. They also acknowledge that reviewing your credit report is an
effective tool to help prevent the harmful effects of identity
theft.Additionally, they answer some basic credit questions for you in an
unbiased manner. You can find responses to these and other frequently asked
question:
- What is a credit file disclosure.
- How often can I request a free credit file disclosure through this website.
- How else can I request my free annual credit file disclosure.
- Should I order all my credit file disclosures at one time or space them out
over 12 months.
- What is a credit score.
- How can I get my credit score.
- What about companies that claim they can improve my credit report for a fee.
- Am I entitled to a free credit report under state law.
- How do I contact the Federal Trade Commission, the FTC.
- How can I provide a suggestion or complaint about the Annual Credit Report
Request.Service or this website.
- How do I request a Credit Report by Mail for a Child under 13 years of age.
If you want to pay for a credit report that includes the three largest credit
reporting agencies you can also get one from the consumerinfo website or from
others such as
CreditReporting.com.
Either way, it's a good idea to get you're a copy of your credit report to
assist to in battling identity theft.
About the Author
Fulltime website operator of such sites as
creditcardsloans.com,
credit-report-bureaus-credit-reporting-agency-company.com,
credit-reporting-agencies-bureaus-agency-credit-reports.com