You may order your free annual reports from each of the consumer reporting companies at the same time, or you can order from only one or two. You can get one (1) free copy from each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies every 12 months. You need to provide your name, address, Social Security Number, and date of birth. If you have moved in the last two (2) years, you may be required to provide your previous address.
The three nationwide consumer reporting companies now use one web site, one toll-free telephone number, and one mailing address for consumers to order their free annual report. To order, visit www.annualcreditreport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or complete an Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281,
Atlanta. GA 30348-5281.
To maintain the security of your file, each nationwide consumer reporting company may ask you for some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment. Each company may ask you for different information because the information each has in your file may come from different sources. www.annualcredltreport.com Is the only authorized online source for your free annual credit report from the three nationwide consumer reporting companies. Neither the website nor the companies will call you first to ask for personal information or send you an email asking for personal information.
According to www.annualcreditreport.com “your reports will be mailed to you within 15 days. Please, allow 2-3 weeks for delivery”.
If you don’t qualify for free credit reports because you’ve already requested a free one this year through the FACTA program, find out if you can get a free credit report based on another reason, such as
(1) You are unemployed and intend to apply for employment within 60 days;
(2) You are living on public welfare assistance;
(3) You believe your credit report contains inaccurate information due to fraud or identity theft; or
(4) You have been the subject of adverse action, such as denial of credit, housing or insurance, within the past 60 days. Note that you are entitled to receive a free report only from the credit bureau that provided the negative information resulting in your denial of credit, housing, insurance, or employment, and not from all three credit bureaus).
Otherwise, any of the three (3) consumer reporting companies may charge you up to $10.00 for another copy of your report within a 12-month period.
It is a good idea to check your credit report with each of the three credit bureaus once a year in order to make sure there are no mistakes that are causing you to pay higher interest rates and that no one is using your credit identity to obtain financing or services. There are millions of identity theft victims each year and according to recent reports odds of becoming a victim are very high.
