FreeCreditReport.com Scam
FreeCreditReport.com is NOT the website to get your free annual credit report!
"I'm thinking of a number..." Sure, the number of people who have been fleeced! FreeCreditReport.com has been advertising heavily on television, saying that you can get a FREE credit report at their website. The young smiling guy says
"I'm thinking of a number between 450 and 850. Do you know what it is?"... "You can find out right now at FreeCreditreport.com!"
WARNING: FREE CREDIT REPORT.COM IS A SCAM! The name of the website and
their advertising is misleading and clearly attempting to imply that you can
obtain free, obligation-free credit reports from them. The State of Florida
Office of the Attorney General is investigating FreeCreditReport.com.
FreeCreditReport.com is not the website that offers the free credit reports in provided by the US federal directive.
Only at the very end of the commercial do they quickly mention that you need to sign up for a package. ("Free credit report comes with enrollment to TripleAdvantage", with no further explanation - note: subsequent versions of the commercial indicate it is a subscription). The website contains the following fine print:
When you order your free report here, you will begin your free trial membership in Triple AdvantageSM Credit Monitoring. If you don't cancel your membership within the 30-day trial period, you will be billed $12.95 for each month that you continue your membership. If you are not satisfied, you can cancel at any time to discontinue the membership and stop the monthly billing; however, you will not be eligible for a pro-rated refund of your current month's paid membership fee.
FreeCreditReport.com has also been investigated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and forced to pay fines.
The only way to get your free annual credit report is by going through the FTC-mandated website: AnnualCreditReport.com. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, set up this website, where you can request a free credit report under U.S. federal law. This is due to a recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requiring each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. Many other websites claim to offer "free" credit reports, but may charge you for another product if you accept a "free" report. Don't be fooled!
To request your free credit report at the approved website, click here, then on the page that comes up, select your state and click the red "request report button.
And please let us know about any suspicious calls or emails you receive. We look for patterns so that we can alert the authorities and victims to new scams, before it is too late!
For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.