What Are Free Credit Report Scams

Credit report is a very important official document. It is no less than a birth certificate, medical certificate or insurance certificate. As people have started acknowledging its importance, some people are taking an undue advantage of this situation. These days free credit report scam has become extremely common. The first case of credit report scam came in forefront in 2005, January. In their frenzy to mend the credit report most people fail to differentiate between the real and the fake agencies. 

Many-a-times people receive an e-mail stating ‘receive a free copy of your credit report’. In the excitement most happen to click on the link wherein they are supposed to give out confidential details like name, social security number, address, date of birth and many more of such kind. As all these information is actually required for obtaining your credit report it is really difficulty to differentiate false from the genuine once. Every year thousands of people become a victim of such fraudulent practices. The fraudsters then commit the credit card frauds and open fake bank accounts on your name ruining your credit history.

When you search for free credit reports over millions of website advertise that they promise free credit reports but most try and advertise their credit monitoring software or try to steal the identity. Thus it is advisable to be wary of these fraudsters and not take these mails seriously. It is best to seek help from the well known credit reporting agencies namely Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

If you decide to ask for the credit reports online then it is best to use www.annualcreditreport.com. But be careful as there are several websites that have a similar name to this site, with a little of spelling errors which are there to dupe you. Or you can visit www.creditexpert.com, www.equifax.com and www.transunion.com and request for the credit reports. All you need to do is request for the free credit report online by filling in a simple application form. Give in your personal and financial details and the copy would be there for you to view within few seconds. Just make sure that the website is safe and secure and ensure the safety of the confidential information.

So, next time when you find a mail with the subject line ‘free credit reports’ don’t get excited and invite troubles for you.