Beware of Free Credit Reports

We have all seen the ads on the Internet or perhaps received an e-mail touting "free" credit reports. As of September 1, 2005, New York State residents can obtain a free annual credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003. With increased interest in protecting your private information and identity, consumer requests for a free credit report are spiraling, as are the number of bogus websites.

The Better Business Bureau Serving Upstate NY (BBB) is advising consumers to use caution when ordering copies of credit reports on-line. An estimated 233 imposter domains use addresses that are to the domain of the official website for obtaining an annual free credit report. Some of these online operators do not actually provide credit reports, but may be using their sites as a way to capture a consumer's personal information.

Some imposter domains solicit social security numbers; others obtain information relevant to mortgage and debt consolidation companies. Once these sites obtain your personal information, they may sell it to others for solicitation purposes or to those who commit fraud, including identity theft. The BBB, along with the Federal Trade Commission, urge consumers to take the following precautions when visiting sites or responding to e-mails that offer credit reports:

• To obtain an annual free credit report, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.ftc.gov or www.annualcreditreport.com. They are the only legitimate source to obtain a free report. You may also order a report by calling the FTC at 1-877-322-8228 or writing to Annual Credit Request Form, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5821.
• Don't click on a website address that has been sent to you, or even one you've found yourself in searching the Internet.
• If you receive an e-mail offering a credit report, do not reply or click on the link in the e-mail. Be skeptical of any unsolicited e-mail that offers credit reports.
• Exit from a Web site that asks for unnecessary personal information, like a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for your bank account, the three-digit code on the back of your credit card, or your passport number and issuing country. Legitimate sites do not ask for this information.
• Use only secure Web sites. Look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar and the letters "https" in the URL address on a Web site to be sure your information is secure during transmission.
• Watch your credit card statements. If you have responded to a bogus site, you may never receive the credit report they offered for free, but watch your statement for other charges you did not authorize. If this happens, contact your credit card issuer immediately.

To obtain a credit report more than one time per year there will be a fee. The three major national credit bureaus are:

Equifax
(800) 685-1111
www.equifax.com

Experian
(888) 397-3742
www.experian.com

TransUnion
(800) 888-4213
www.transunion.com

This report is general in nature and is not intended as a reliability report on any company, service or product.