Credit Guide

Warning: Free Credit Report Imposter Websites Springing Up on the Web Copyright 2005 George Dodge

Card Consolidation Credit Debt A recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act
(FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies to provide consumers with a free copy of their credit report, upon request, once every 12 months.

You are entitled to a free online credit report When you want to do a credit check, in the world of online credit reports, you have many options available to you. Under The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act), the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) are required to provide all U.S. citizens with an annual free credit report upon request. The federal government established an official website, AnnualCreditReport.com, to provide consumers with a safe, secure site through which they can order their free online credit reports.

Credit Union Access to the free credit reports has been phased in
beginning last December in the West and will finally be nationwide by 1 September. This is good news to consumers.

But Rep. Bernie Sanders ( VT), the Ranking Independent on the subcommittee, said that extensive inaccuracy in credit reports, coupled with growing identity theft, underscored the urgent need for stronger consumer protections. Sanders repeatedly said the place to start was "one free credit report per year." Vermont was one of the first states to have a law requiring one free credit report per year. Throughout the House's spring and summer hearings, Sanders continued to harangue committee members about the need for a federal right to a free credit report.

Merchant Credit Guide Co However, a new form of phishing, is manifesting itself even before access to free credit reports is available for all Americans.

Apply Online For Credit Card The new law that requires the three national credit bureaus
to provide a free annual credit report to consumers, has
met with the law of unintended consequences. Although the
law was initially created to help thwart identity theft,
the process for requesting the free credit reports may in
fact contribute to further identity theft or loss of
privacy.

When he got his credit report, Radcliffe discovered that numerous accounts, totaling $57, 000, had been opened in his name by an imposter.

By Card Credit Debt Debt Guide While the intent of the law was to make it easier for
consumers to check for errors and possible evidence of
identity theft in their credit reports, according to a new report by the World Privacy Forum, more than 200 imposter websites have sprung up trying to exploit one of the methods made available for consumers to apply for their free credit reports.

-- Free Credit Reports, Credit Scores, and 3 Bureau Reports Get a FREE Credit Report & Credit Score delivered online in seconds! Scan for possible inaccuracies. See who's been checking your credit. Discover how to improve your credit score. Monitor all 3 of your credit reports. Get Your FREE Credit Report & Credit Score Now! order now

Credit Repair One of the methods by which consumers can apply for their
free credit reports is through a website that was
established jointly by the three credit bureaus. The
official website for applying for the free credit reports
is at http://www.annualcreditreport.com

Active Credit Credit Guide But, if the identity thieves and other unscrupulous
internet swindlers have their way, part of the very process sent up in an attempt to curtail identity theft, will leave consumers vulnerable to further loss of privacy.

Credit Score The online pilferers create websites with domain names that
are very close to the official website www.annualcreditreport.com. By registering similar names or close misspellings, such as wwwannualcreditreport.com (note the missing dot), creditannualreport.com and www.freeannualcreditreports.com they hope to entice consumers to unwittingly enter their private information into online web forms, thinking that they are on the official website.

Bad Car Credit Guide Loan Depending upon the level of personal information detail captured from the imposter websites, the swindlers can then use the garnered information for illegal purposes, sell the information to purveyors of personal information databases, or they can simply send the unsuspecting consumer to commercial websites.

Bad Credit Loan While the majority of imposter websites, simply gather
names, addresses, and email addresses and then send the consumer on to advertising sites, some sites attempt to gather social security numbers, birth dates, and other sensitive information.

Credit Definition Derivative To guard against the possibility of entering personal information on an imposter site, consumers can go to the official website from a link off from the www.ftc.gov website or call the official toll free number
(877-322-8228) to get the free copy of their credit report.

Bad Credit Mortgage Note: Strange as it may seem, your free annual credit
report does not contain your credit score. For more
information on your credit score, what it is, how it is
used, and why it is important, see the resource box below.

The Insider Guide To Credit
About the Author:

Business Credit Card George Dodge has been developing on the Web since 1994 and
is owner of http://www.The-Credit-Repair-Center.com a
source of information on personal finance management. For information on how you can also get a free copy of your credit score (which is NOT included with your annual free credit report), click here -> http://www.The-Credit-Repair-Center.com/scores/credit-scores

Banker Complete Credit Guide George Dodge has been developing on the Web since 1994 and
is owner of http://www.The-Credit-Repair-Center.com a
source of information on personal finance management. For information on how you can also get a free copy of your credit score (which is NOT included with your annual free credit report), click here -> http://www.The-Credit-Repair-Center.com/scores/credit-scores

Contact him at http://www.submityourarticle.com