Apparently in California (and other states) I am entitled to get a copy of my credit report for free once a year. Something that includes the information from all three credit reporting companies…
How do I go about getting it? I’d like to not have it done online. I just want a regular printed copy.
Any help?
Hit submit too soon.
The above link is apparently the only web site authorized by the three credit bureaus. Any other “free credit report” web sites — other than the actual credit reporting agencies — exist merely to take advantahge of the law and require you to jump through all sorts of hoops and get you to buy their products and services.
If you search Google for the above link, you may see this …
"For security purposes, www.AnnualCreditReport.com can be accessed by typing the web address “www.annualcreditreport.com”, or from links from the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov), Equifax (www.equifax.com), Experian (www.experian.com) and TransUnion (www.transunion.com) websites.
“AnnualCreditReport.com is the only web source authorized by all three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies from which free annual credit file disclosures can be requested.”
You can order you free credit report online, via phone or via mail. I believe one of the three credit agencies will only accept mail requests.
Our resident credit reporting agency SDMB rep will be along shortly.
Just call these three phone numbers:
Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
1-800-685-1111
Experian
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
1 888 397 3742
Trans Union
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022
1-800-888-4213
They are automated systems that verify you ID and eligibility and send you your reports for free within a week or so. I have done it many times without a hitch.
Soryy, that is the site to obtain your free federaly mandated annual credit report, in accordane with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA).
The OP inquires about the one his state law entitles him to. To secure **that ** report, one must visit or call the credit bureaus one by one.
Aren’t we talking the same thing? All the hits I can find with a California twist concern the federal law that applies to everyone. It’s just that the western states – including California – get first dibs at the law. Perhaps the California-based writers tailored their stories for local audiences even though the story is actually national in scope.
Some states mandated free credit reports before the FACT act. AFAIK, California was not one of them.
Referring to the Federal act.
According to a 2/20/05 Wall Street Journal article entitled **Free Reports May Not Be
** there is yet another number you may call. The author, Andrew Blackman winds up his column with
“…you can skip the Web confusion altogether and just call 877-322-8228 and have a free report mailed to you.”
Earlier in the article, he mentions that annualcreditreport.com will cover the whole country by 9/1/05, but doesn’t mention this limitation in reference to the phone number.
In any event, I wonder if 877-322-8228 will be among the busiest phone numbers someone will ever have called.
It’s an automated phone system, and they are rolling out the free reports by zone (In Michigan we can’t get our free reports until March). I just dialed the number and got right through to the computer lady.
In Maryland, we’re covered by a state law that mandates one free credit report per year from each of the three reporting agencies. I took advatage of this last year, and it really is just a matter of a five-minute phone call to each one. And with at least one of them (i think it was Experian) it was also possible to order it online.
Wow!