Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Beware of free credit reports that aren’t really free

Don’t get fooled again: freecreditreport.com aims to make you spend money - The Boston GlobeBy Michelle Singletary singletarym@washpost.com
Safe.. go to www.annualcreditreport.com. NOT freecreditreport.com

{don't be} fooled by those clever commercials for freecreditreport.com with the goofy guy playing a guitar complaining about how his life is messed up because he didn’t check his credit report.

But the Federal Trade Commission has received many complaints from consumers who were misdirected from the official site. Every consumer is entitled to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

In an effort to help keep consumers from ending up on imposter sites or falling for promotions for free credit reports that aren’t really free, the FTC is seeking public comment on proposed rules. You have a chance to weigh in.