How do you get a free AND LEGITIMATE credit report?

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edprush

Platinum Member
Sep 18, 2000
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Do you need to file for a loan first?

All fo the sites I have seen require either a credit monitoring subscription or a fee.
 
C

Cpt Cupcake

Member
May 1, 2005
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Filing for a loan has nothing to do with getting a credit report. It could come from a credit card, from a cell phone or from other non-loan methods.
 
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edprush

Platinum Member
Sep 18, 2000
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Okay I'll restate...



How do you get a free AND LEGITIMATE credit report?
Do you need to request credit or attempt to prove your credit worthiness for a loan first?

All fo the sites I have seen require either a credit monitoring subscription or a fee.
 
G

ghostman

Golden Member
Jul 12, 2000
1,819
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Originally posted by: Cpt Cupcake
Originally posted by: FoBoT
annualcreditreport.com
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Click to expand...

Yes, this IS the free, legitimate credit reporting source. You can request a credit report from each of the 3 credit reporting agencies (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) thru this website (or the phone number on the website) once every year. So, you can request all 3 reports at once, or if you choose to, spread it out once every 3 months to get a report from a different agency to cover the year.

Do not go directly to the credit reporting agency's website, because they are in the business of selling you your credit report. They may try to charge you a fee. Note, however, that the credit report does not contain the credit score. The credit score is not free.
 
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turunturun

Member
Sep 6, 2000
171
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I second, annualcreditreport.com. I was actually skeptical at first of the legit status of that site, because it doesn't look like the only government approved site to get a free credit report. Thought I was getting scammed somehow. So I looked it up on the FTC website and got this page:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/freereports.htm
When you go to the annualcreditreport.com site, if you request an online version, they just redirect you to one of the 3 agencies websites, only you get free access. You still have to opt out of the additional charges they try to throw at you, like also getting your optional "FICO Score" (as if getting further in debt so you can get a better FICO score were actually good for you), or the "credit watch" or the "subscription service".
 
FelixDeCat

FelixDeCat

Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
29,892
2,382
126
Originally posted by: JEDI
Originally posted by: FoBoT
annualcreditreport.com
Click to expand...

What's http://www.freecreditreport.com then?
Click to expand...

A pay site.

I just used www.annualcreditreport.com for the first time ever. Beware, all three reports took 60 pages to print! :shocked:

Prior to the creation of the law/site, I used to order mine annually anyway starting in the early 1990s. :shocked:

Its actually easy to clear things up on your own. Ive done it many a time and mine is clean as a whistle.

Somethings Ive found were:

1) Wrong mailing addresses. Wiped off.
2) Wrong pay history or status. Ive cleared and changed them or logged my protest if the company defended their error.
3) Accounts reported as open and subsequently closed.
4) Closed accounts not reported as such. My theory is that some bureaus like to leave them "open" or not be fully honest to "pad" the report and thus make it more valuable. Pisses me off.
5) One year a strange inquiry from people who had no damn business pulling my credit, did. This will tip you off to possible PI work. I called them and bitched them out royally. I should have sued, but didnt. Never happened again.
 
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