A federal law mandates that all Americans are entitled to a free credit report from each of three credit bureaus once every year. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous marketers that try to take advantage of people by making it look like their paid service is associated with the federal program. This is not unlike the scammers that sell information on
free grant money.
New FTC Campaign
The attempts to take advantage of people have become so prevalent that the Federal Trade Commission has launched a campaign to set the record straight and warn people not to fall for the misinformation on the free credit report program. The FTC has created two funny videos as an answer to TV commercials that try to associate a paid service with the official free credit report program. You can learn more and view the videos on the
FTC Web site
Free Credit Report Commercial Spoofs
The two FTC videos spoof free credit report TV commercials and convey the message that the only place to get the federally mandated free credit report is
AnnualCreditReport.com. These videos have been released as a followup to National Consumer Protection Week. The FTC is emphasizing the importance of monitoring your credit report especially now that it is tougher than ever to get credit.
More About Your Free Credit Report
Our Banking and Loans Guide offers information on
how to view your annual free credit report . Our Financial Planning Guide provides tips on
improving your credit score. Keep in mind that the free credit report you receive through AnnualCreditReport.com is a report of the information on file with the credit bureaus and not your actual credit score. In most cases, to get your actual credit score you need to pay a fee.
Be a Smart Consumer
The primary message here is to be smart and realize that AnnualCreditReport.com is the only place to get your free federally mandated credit report. If you go to another site and register they only give you a free report if you sign up for their paid service. They may offer a free trial, but you will get billed if you don't cancel the service in a short time.
