Credit report problems on the Internet

Now that the Federal government has authorized free credit reports for all Americans, hundreds of companies have sprung up to take advantage of us. In order to avoid becoming a victim, there are a number of things to consider when seeking out a credit report on the Web.

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One of the few good things for the average American to come out of Washington recently is the law allowing consumers to acquire their credit report for free. The Federal government has authorized the three main credit bureaus to set up and maintain an Internet site that will give U.S. people access to one cost free copy of their credit report, per bureau, per year, either on the Internet or via the Postal Service. The current administration has not been helping Americans, and the bills enacted over the last five years have been especially hard on the poor and indebted segments of our society.

While the credit report Website has worked well, and traffic to the site has been busy, several problems have appeared due to the creation of online access. The new Websites have been built to trick people who may be looking for the no-cost credit report Website without knowing its actual name. A few hundred criminal types have assembled Websites with similar names to the official site, which is called AnnualCreditReport.com. Americans may encounter a site that is similar to the official one, assume that it is the one they're looking for and then begin to fill out forms with their personal information. Fortunate consumers may get a copy of their credit report in the mail, only to notice that it isn't free, or that they have been charged for some other "service", such as a monitoring service, in addition to receiving the "no charge" report. Unfortunate consumers may discover that their financial or personal information has been stolen by someone looking to use it for identity theft.
 

Below are a couple of easy things you can do to resist being a victim of online fraud:

• Do not reply to popups or spam solicitations, as they could be an attempt to steal your personal or financial information. The authorized Website won't make advertisements by means of spam, popup windows or any other unorthodox online advertising method.
• Remember that the authorized Website won't ask you for a charge card. Any site promoting a "cost free" service that asks you for a charge card number is probably going to bill you for a product or just acquire your account number. The official site will not ask for a charge card number; not even for "confirmation" purposes.
• The free Website can be accessed directly, but if you're concerned, you might connect via the link at the Internet site of the Federal Trade Commission. The Federal Trade Commission is the government bureau responsible for dealing with financial fraud; you may click on the link to the Government-mandated Site from there.

People who are troubled about using the Web can order a copy of their financial record by mail: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Visitors should be careful that they don't get ripped off while looking for their report. If you have any doubts about the genuine Website, you may call them at 877-322-8228. The cost free Site is a terrific idea, and Americans ought to have free access to their own information.