| MANAGING
YOUR INFORMATION - Ordering
Your Credit Report |
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Federal
law requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies
– Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – to provide you
with a free copy or your credit report, at your request, once every
12 months. Checking your credit report periodically is a smart way
to detect possible identity theft – as an identity theft involving
new credit or abused existing credit in your name will often show
up on your credit report. |
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You may order your
free annual credit report online at http://www.annualcreditreport.com
or by calling 1-877-322-8228. When you order, you need to provide
your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. To
verify your identity, you may need to provide some information that
only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment. |
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A credit report
includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills,
and whether you’ve been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy.
Nationwide consumer reporting companies sell the information in
your credit report to lenders, insurers, employers and other businesses
that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance,
employment, or renting a home. |
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A Warning about
“Imposter” Sites – The FTC advises consumers who
order their ree annual credit reports online to be sure to correctly
spell annualcreditreport.com to avoid being misdirected to other
websites that offer supposedly free reports, but only with the purchase
or other products. Consumers are not required to make a purchase
to receive their free annual credit reports. |
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For more information
from the FTC, visit Your Access to Free Credit Reports [then via
that last title, link to: I’ll get you the link.] |
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