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Free Credit Report
A new law went into effect July 2005 allowing individuals to receive a free credit report annually. This law was passed due to the growing concern of identity theft. Under the new law, a person can receive a free credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies once a year. The three agencies are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
For a person to receive their free credit report, they simply have to request it one of two ways; by sending a written request to each agency or by logging onto the website www.annualcreditreport.com. To better remember what time of year to receive your free credit report, it is recommended that you request it on a memorable date, such as your birthday or the first or last day of the year. Once you choose your date, just jot down on a calendar when you are due to check it again.
By requesting your free credit report, you are able to keep an eye out for any changes that you are not aware of, such as a credit card being reported that you did not receive or a change in your address that should not be there. This will allow you to monitor for fraudulent entries and better equip you to fight the growing crime of identity theft.
If you request your free credit report online, make sure to request it from all three agencies and print out copies of each one. Once you view your report online, you may or may not be able to view it again for thirty days. After you print your free credit report, make sure to store it in a safe place that the average person would not think to look for it. Do not just leave it lying around for all eyes to see. Your credit report contains personal information such as your social security number and account numbers for loan and credit card accounts.
Be sure to take advantage of this new law allowing you to receive your free credit report. Not only will it allow you to see where your money goes, but it also goes a long way in helping to prevent someone from stealing your identity.
For a person to receive their free credit report, they simply have to request it one of two ways; by sending a written request to each agency or by logging onto the website www.annualcreditreport.com. To better remember what time of year to receive your free credit report, it is recommended that you request it on a memorable date, such as your birthday or the first or last day of the year. Once you choose your date, just jot down on a calendar when you are due to check it again.
By requesting your free credit report, you are able to keep an eye out for any changes that you are not aware of, such as a credit card being reported that you did not receive or a change in your address that should not be there. This will allow you to monitor for fraudulent entries and better equip you to fight the growing crime of identity theft.
If you request your free credit report online, make sure to request it from all three agencies and print out copies of each one. Once you view your report online, you may or may not be able to view it again for thirty days. After you print your free credit report, make sure to store it in a safe place that the average person would not think to look for it. Do not just leave it lying around for all eyes to see. Your credit report contains personal information such as your social security number and account numbers for loan and credit card accounts.
Be sure to take advantage of this new law allowing you to receive your free credit report. Not only will it allow you to see where your money goes, but it also goes a long way in helping to prevent someone from stealing your identity.
Do you want more free credit report advice?
Visit CreditReportAdvice.net today for loads more free info!
How to Get Your Online Credit Report
With the new law allowing individuals to receive free annual credit reports in effect, there are several ways you can receive your credit report. One way is to receive an online credit report. Accessing an online credit report is relatively easy and once you receive it, the website you choose to use may give you options for monitoring your report. All three credit reporting agencies offer online credit reports, or you can go through a credit monitoring agency.To find an agency that offers online credit reports, you can just "google" online credit reports, or you can visit one of the three major credit reporting agencies. These agencies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. If you go through a credit monitoring agency, be sure to read the fine print.
Credit monitoring agencies allow you to receive an online credit report instantly, but most of the time they want you to try out their services "free for thirty days." Once those thirty days are up, they charge a monthly fee ranging from ten dollars to fifty dollars a month. If you use one of these agencies to request your online credit report and you do not want to continue with their services, be sure to cancel your subscription before the thirty day time limit is up, giving them enough time to process your request before the billing cycle.
The three credit reporting agencies also offer online credit reports instantly. Simply log onto their website (or google it if you do not know it) and request an online credit report. The cost of an online credit report through the agencies cost anywhere from nothing to fifteen to twenty dollars.
It costs about the same to order an online credit report as it does to send a written request with payment to receive one through the mail. The obvious difference being that you receive your online credit report in seconds compared to up to six weeks when using the postal service.
How to Check Your Equifax Credit Report
With the new law that went into effect in 2005 allowing you one free credit report annually from each of the credit reporting agencies, it's just common sense to request your credit report and make sure that the information in it is correct. One of the companies you should request your credit report from is Equifax.Requesting your Equifax Credit Report is easy to do, either online or through the mail. You can mail a written request to Equifax asking them to provide you with your free credit report. They will mail it to you within six weeks of receipt of the letter. If you would prefer to receive your Equifax credit report in a timelier manner you can go online and request it.
To request your free Equifax Credit Report online, either go to their website or go to www.annualcreditreport.com. Both sites will allow you to view your Equifax credit report free of charge. The annual credit report site will also give you the option to view your credit report from Experian and TransUnion at the same time.
Once you receive your Equifax Credit Report, review the report and note any discrepancies that you many find. Make sure that you take the time to check all parts of your Equifax credit report, even though they can be rather lengthy. Once you've viewed your Equifax credit report, be sure to print it out to keep in a safe place for future reference. If you did find discrepancies, be sure to circle them on your printed copy and notify Equifax immediately to dispute them.
It is a good idea to take advantage of the opportunity to view your credit report. Make a note of when you view the report on your calendar to remember to view your Equifax credit report at the same time next year. Should you want to view your report more than once a year, you can return to the website or send another request and pay a small fee to receive another copy.
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