FCC Facts--Your Access to FREE Credit Reports

8/3/2019 FCC Facts--Your Access to FREE Credit Reports

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Your Access to Free Credit Reports

he Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requireseach o the nationwide credit reportingcompanies Equiax, Experian, and ransUnion to provide you with a ree copy o your credit report,

at your request, once every 12 months. Te FCRA

promotes the accuracy and privacy o inormation in

the les o the nations credit reporting companies.

Te Federal rade Commission (FC), the nations

consumer protection agency, enorces the FCRA

with respect to credit reporting companies.

A credit report includes inormation on where you

live, how you pay your bills, and whether youvebeen sued or arrested, or have led or bankruptcy.

Nationwide credit reporting companies sell the

inormation in your report to creditors, insurers,

employers, and other businesses that use it to

evaluate your applications or credit, insurance,

employment, or renting a home.

Here are the details about your rights under the

FCRA, which established the ree annual credit

report program.

Q: How do I order my ree report?

A: Te three nationwide credit reporting companies

have set up a central website, a toll-ree telephone

number, and a mailing address through which you

can order your ree annual report.

o order, visit annualcreditreport.com, call

1-877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit

Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual CreditReport Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta,

GA 30348-5281. Te orm is on the back o this

brochure; or you can print it rom

tc.gov/credit. Do not contact the three nationwide

credit reporting companies individually. Tey are

providing ree annual credit reports only through

annualcreditreport.com, 1-877-322-8228, and

Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box

105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

You may order your reports rom each o the three

nationwide credit reporting companies at the same

time, or you can order your report rom each o

the companies one at a time. Te law allows you

to order one ree copy o your report rom each o

the nationwide credit reporting companies every 12

months.

A Warning About

Imposter Websites

Only one website is authorized to ll orders or the

ree annual credit report you are entitled to under

law annualcreditreport.com. Other websites

that claim to oer ree credit reports, ree credit

scores, or ree credit monitoring are not part

October 2011
http://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://ftc.gov/credithttp://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://ftc.gov/credithttp://www.annualcreditreport.com/


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o the legally mandated ree annual credit report

program. In some cases, the ree product comes

with strings attached. For example, some sites sign

you up or a supposedly ree service that converts

to one you have to pay or ater a trial period. I

you dont cancel during the trial period, you may

be unwittingly agreeing to let the company start

charging ees to your credit card.

Some imposter sites use terms like ree report

in their names; others have URLs that purposely

misspell annualcreditreport.com in the hope that

you will mistype the name o the ocial site. Some

o these imposter sites direct you to other sites that

try to sell you something or collect your personal

inormation.

Annualcreditreport.com

and the nationwide credit

reporting companies will not

send you an email asking or

your personal inormation. I

you get an email, see a pop-

up ad, or get a phone call

rom someone claiming to

be rom annualcreditreport.

com or any o the three

nationwide credit reporting companies, do not reply

or click on any link in the message. Its probably a

scam. Forward any such email to the FC at spam@

uce.gov.

Q: What inormation do I need to provide to get

my ree report?

A: You need to provide your name, address, Social

Security number, and date o birth. I you have

moved in the last two years, you may have to provide

your previous address. o maintain the security o

your le, each nationwide credit reporting company

may ask you or some inormation that only you

would know, like the amount o your monthly

mortgage payment. Each company may ask you or

dierent inormation because the inormation each

has in your le may come rom dierent sources.

Q: Why do I want a copy o my credit report?

A: Your credit report has inormation that aects

whether you can get a loan and how much you

will have to pay to borrow money. You want a copy

o your credit report to:

make sure the inormation is accurate, complete,

and up-to-date beore you apply or a loan or a

major purchase like a house

or car, buy insurance, or

apply or a job.

help guard against

identity thet. Tats when

someone uses your personal

inormation like yourname, your Social Security

number, or your credit card

number to commit raud.

Identity thieves may use your

inormation to open a new credit card account in

your name. Ten, when they dont pay the bills,

the delinquent account is reported on your credit

report. Inaccurate inormation like that could

aect your ability to get credit, insurance, or even

a job.

Q: How long does it take to get my report ater I

order it?

A: I you request your report online at

annualcreditreport.com, you should be able to

Only one website is

authorized to ll orders or

the fee annual credit report

you are entitled to under law annualcreditreport.com.

FTC Facts For Consumers 2
http://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://www.annualcreditreport.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://www.annualcreditreport.com/http://www.annualcreditreport.com/


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access it immediately. I you order your report

by calling toll-ree

1-877-322-8228, your report

will be processed and mailed

to you within 15 days. I you

order your report by mail

using the Annual Credit

Report Request Form, your

request will be processed and

mailed to you within 15 days

o receipt.

Whether you order your report online, by phone, or

by mail, it may take longer to receive your report i

the nationwide credit reporting company needs more

inormation to veriy your identity.

Q: Are there any other situations where I might

be eligible or a ree report?

A: Under ederal law, youre entitled to a ree report

i a company takes adverse action against you, such

as denying your application or credit, insurance,

or employment, and you ask or your report within60 days o receiving notice o the action. Te notice

will give you the name, address, and phone number

o the credit reporting company. Youre also entitled

to one ree report a year i youre unemployed and

plan to look or a job within 60 days; i youre on

welare; or i your report is inaccurate because o

raud, including identity thet. Otherwise, a credit

reporting company may charge you up to $11.00

or another copy o your report within a 12-month

period.

o buy a copy o your report, contact:

Equiax:1-800-685-1111; equiax.com

Experian: 1-888-397-3742; experian.com

ransUnion: 1-800-916-8800; transunion.com

Q: Should I order a report rom each o the three

nationwide credit reporting

companies?

A: Its up to you. Because

nationwide credit reporting

companies get their

inormation rom dierent

sources, the inormation

in your report rom one

company may not refect all,

or the same, inormation

in your reports rom the other two companies.

Tats not to say that the inormation in any o

your reports is necessarily inaccurate; it just may be

dierent.

Q: Should I order my reports rom all three o the

nationwide credit reporting companies at the

same time?

A: You may order one, two, or all three reports at

the same time, or you may stagger your requests. Its

your choice. Some nancial advisors say staggeringyour requests during a 12-month period may be

a good way to keep an eye on the accuracy and

completeness o the inormation in your reports.

Q: What i I fnd errors either inaccuracies

or incomplete inormation in my credit

report?

A: Under the FCRA, both the credit reporting

company and the inormation provider (that is,the person, company, or organization that provides

inormation about you to a credit reporting

company) are responsible or correcting inaccurate

or incomplete inormation in your report. o

take ull advantage o your rights under this law,

I you request yourreport online at

annualcreditreport.com,

you should be able to access

it immediately.

http://www.equifax.com/http://www.experian.com/http://www.transunion.com/http://www.transunion.com/http://www.experian.com/http://www.equifax.com/


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contact the credit reporting company and the

inormation provider.

1. ell the credit reporting company, in writing,what inormation you think is inaccurate.

Credit reporting companies must investigate the

items in question usually within 30 days

unless they consider your dispute rivolous. Tey

also must orward all the

relevant data you provide

about the inaccuracy to the

organization that provided

the inormation. Ater theinormation provider receives

notice o a dispute rom the

credit reporting company,

it must investigate, review

the relevant inormation,

and report the results back to the credit reporting

company. I the inormation provider nds the

disputed inormation is inaccurate, it must notiy all

three nationwide credit reporting companies so they

can correct the inormation in your le.

When the investigation is complete, the credit

reporting company must give you the written results

and a ree copy o your report i the dispute results

in a change. (Tis ree report does not count as your

annual ree report under the FAC Act.) I an item

is changed or deleted, the credit reporting company

cannot put the disputed inormation back in your

le unless the inormation provider veries that

it is accurate and complete. Te credit reporting

company also must send you written notice that

includes the name, address, and phone number o

the inormation provider.

2. ell the creditor or other inormation provider

in writing that you dispute an item. Many providers

speciy an address or disputes. I the provider

reports the item to a credit reporting company, it

must include a notice o your dispute. And i you

are correct that is, i the inormation is ound to

be inaccurate the inormation provider may not

report it again.

Q: What can I do i the credit reporting company

or inormation provider wont correct the

inormation I dispute?

A: I an investigation

doesnt resolve your dispute

with the credit reportingcompany, you can ask that

a statement o the dispute

be included in your le and

in uture reports. You also

can ask the credit reporting

company to provide your statement to anyone who

received a copy o your report in the recent past. You

can expect to pay a ee or this service.

I you tell the inormation provider that you disputean item, a notice o your dispute must be included

any time the inormation provider reports the item

to a credit reporting company.

Q: How long can a credit reporting company

report negative inormation?

A: A credit reporting company can report most

accurate negative inormation or seven years and

bankruptcy inormation or 10 years. Tere is notime limit on reporting inormation about criminal

convictions; inormation reported in response to

your application or a job that pays more than

$75,000 a year; and inormation reported because

youve applied or more than $150,000 worth o

credit or lie insurance. Inormation about a lawsuit

Tell the credit reporting

company, in writing, whatinormation you think is

inaccurate.



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or an unpaid judgment against you can be reported

or seven years or until the statute o limitations runs

out, whichever is longer.

Q: Can anyone else get a copy o my credit

report?

A: Te FCRA species who can access your

credit report. Creditors,

insurers, employers, and

other businesses that use the

inormation in your report

to evaluate your applications

or credit, insurance,employment, or renting a

home are among those that

have a legal right to access

your report.

Q: Can my employer get my credit report?

A: Your employer can get a copy o your credit

report only i you agree. A credit reporting company

may not provide inormation about you to youremployer, or to a prospective employer, without your

written consent.

For More Information

Te FC works to prevent raudulent, deceptive and

unair business practices in the marketplace and toprovide inormation to help consumers spot, stop

and avoid them. o learn more about credit issues

and protecting your personal inormation, visit

tc.gov/credit.

o le a complaint or get ree

inormation on consumer

issues, visit tc.govor call

toll-ree, 1-877-FC-HELP

(1-877-382-4357); Y:1-866-653-4261. Watch a

video, How to File a Complaint,

at tc.gov/video to learn

more. Te FC enters consumer complaints into

the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online

database and investigative tool used by hundreds o

civil and criminal law enorcement agencies in the

U.S. and abroad.

Your employer can get a

copy o your credit report

only i you agree.

For The Consumer Federal Trade Commission

ftc.gov 1-877-ftc-help

Federal Trade CommissionBureau of Consumer Protection

Division of Consumer and Business Education

http://ftc.gov/credithttp://ftc.gov/http://ftc.gov/videohttp://www.ftc.gov/http://www.ftc.gov/http://ftc.gov/videohttp://ftc.gov/http://ftc.gov/credit


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You have the right to get a free copy of your credit file disclosure, commonly called a credit report, once every 12 months, from each of

the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

For instant access to your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com.

For more information on obtaining your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228.

Use this form if you prefer to write to request your credit report from any, or all, of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies. The

following information is required to process your request. Omission of any information may delay your request.

If additional information is needed to process your request, the consumer creditreporting company will contact you by mail.

Your request will be processed within 15 days of receipt and then mailed to you.

Annual Credit Report Request Form

Once complete, fold (do not staple or tape), place into a #10 envelope, affix required postage and mail to:Annual Credit Report Request Service P.O. Box 105281 Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

Copyright 2004, Central Source LLC

Equifax

Experian

TransUnion

I want a credit report from (shade

each that you would like to

receive):

Shade here if, for security

reasons, you want your credit

report to include no more than

the last four digits of your

Social Security Number.

Shade Circle Like This >

Not Like This >

Social Security Number:

- -

Date of Birth:

/ /Month Day Year

First Name M.I.

Last Name JR, SR, III, etc.

Current Mailing Address:

House Number Street Name

City State ZipCode

ZipCodeStateCity

Apartment Number / Private Mailbox For Puerto Rico Only: Print Urbanization Name

Street NameHouse Number

Previous Mailing Address (complete only if at current mailing address for less than two years):

Fold HereFold Here

Fold HereFold Here

Please use a Black or Blue Pen and write your responses in PRINTED CAPITAL LETTERS without touching the sides of the boxes like the examples listed below:

For Puerto Rico Only: Print Urbanization NameApartment Number / Private Mailbox

31238

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