Did you know that an amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the nationwide credit reporting companies to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months? By reviewing your credit report periodically, you can stay on top of any unauthorized credit accounts that have been set up in your name. You will also be able to see inquiries that you did not initiate and any suspicious debts on your legitimate accounts. There are benefits to checking your credit report and they’re free.
TO REQUEST YOUR FREE CREDIT REPORT
The three companies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. They are set up as one central service through which you can order your free annual report. So, you do not need to contact each individual credit reporting agencies to get your credit reports.You can request your free annual credit report by one of the following means:
- Go to www.annualcreditreport.com which is the only authorized source for consumers to access their annual credit reports online for free.
- Complete the Annual Credit Request Form and mail it to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 - Call 1-877-322-8228 to request your reports.