Credit Check...

[SaburoS]

Get your Free Annual Credit Check online. This checks the three major reporting agencies (Equifax, Esperian, and Transunion).
For a nominal fee, you can get your FICO score(s) as well.

Keep in mind that for financial liabilities such as a home loan, car loan, and credit card unsecured debt, your FICO score will be hit.

This is a good way to monitor to make sure the spouse, relative, 'friend' or even worse, a stranger has opened up an account in your name using your Social Security number.

Make sure you run an antispyware program before starting the background process.

I found out (2.4 years ago) the hard way that my now ex wife had an excessive spending (and subsequent lying) issue.

[Sundowner]

Great site, SaburoS.

I use it once a year.

Most people don't know they are allowed 1 free credit report every 12 months.

(And no, this is not like the free credit report .com site where you buy a service THEN get your credit report. This REALLY is free.)

Regards,
Sun

[eagl]

I subscribe to a credit check service (offered through discovercard) because my house was broken into, plus several banks and multiple government agencies have "lost" detailed personal information on me and my wife.  The credit check service emails me immediately if anything in my credit report changes, so I don't have to wait a year to find out or constantly monitor my credit report for changes.

I think it's well worth the $8.99, and it's a better option than simply putting a fraud alert freeze on any accounts and services associated with our names and SSNs.  Those fraud freezes are really restrictive to military members because we move so often.  I couldn't even get a telephone set up when I moved this last time because AT&T obeyed the fraud alert on my account.  The contact number was a phone number I used over 4 years ago that doesn't exist anymore, and the required proof that I am who I say I am would have required me to send 7 ORIGINAL proofs of identity, including birth and marriage certificates, etc.  Too much trouble to get a telephone, so I got VOIP through time warner cable because they don't do a credit history on new accounts because of antiquated telco laws that don't really mean much anymore.

In any case, the service lets me monitor against a very real and elevated identity theft threat I am facing, without having to put up with the restrictions of a 7 year fraud alert account lockdown.

[SaburoS]

Yeah it's interesting how the different agencies interpret and score.
Experian downgrades me (882/990) because I don't have any revolving credit card debt at all.
Transunion loves me (FICO 832/850) because the balance on all my credit cards is 0 and that I am debt free.
Equifax, I have to write or call them for my score. Maybe they don't like my P. O. Box addy.

[SaburoS]

Originally posted by eagl
I subscribe to a credit check service (offered through discovercard) because my house was broken into, plus several banks and multiple government agencies have "lost" detailed personal information on me and my wife.  The credit check service emails me immediately if anything in my credit report changes, so I don't have to wait a year to find out or constantly monitor my credit report for changes.

I think it's well worth the $8.99, and it's a better option than simply putting a fraud alert freeze on any accounts and services associated with our names and SSNs.  Those fraud freezes are really restrictive to military members because we move so often.  I couldn't even get a telephone set up when I moved this last time because AT&T obeyed the fraud alert on my account.  The contact number was a phone number I used over 4 years ago that doesn't exist anymore, and the required proof that I am who I say I am would have required me to send 7 ORIGINAL proofs of identity, including birth and marriage certificates, etc.  Too much trouble to get a telephone, so I got VOIP through time warner cable because they don't do a credit history on new accounts because of antiquated telco laws that don't really mean much anymore.

In any case, the service lets me monitor against a very real and elevated identity theft threat I am facing, without having to put up with the restrictions of a 7 year fraud alert account lockdown.

One of my credit cards is with Washington Mutual and I get free monitoring with (Transunion). It's interesting to see how the FICO will fluctuate depending on what goes on in the credit/debit department.

[Tac]

If that free credit report website was created/sponsored by the 3 credit reporting agencies then why isnt it mentioned on the 3 agency's websites?

Im not giving my info on that website otherwise.

[TalonX]

I copied this from the Federal Trade Commission's website....

Q: How do I order my free report?
A: The three nationwide consumer reporting companies have set up a central website, a toll-free telephone number, and a mailing address through which you can order your free annual report.

To order, visit annualcreditreport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. The form is on the back of this brochure; or you can print it from ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/credit. Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually. They are providing free annual credit reports only through annualcreditreport.com, 1-877-322-8228, and Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

You may order your reports from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies at the same time, or you can order your report from each of the companies one at a time. The law allows you to order one free copy of your report from each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies every 12 months.

A Warning About “Imposter” Websites
Only one website is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to under law – annualcreditreport.com. Other websites that claim to offer “free credit reports,” “free credit scores,” or “free credit monitoring” are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report program. In some cases, the “free” product comes with strings attached. For example, some sites sign you up for a supposedly “free” service that converts to one you have to pay for after a trial period. If you don’t cancel during the trial period, you may be unwittingly agreeing to let the company start charging fees to your credit card.

Some “imposter” sites use terms like “free report” in their names; others have URLs that purposely misspell annualcreditreport.com in the hope that you will mistype the name of the official site. Some of these “imposter” sites direct you to other sites that try to sell you something or collect your personal information.

annualcreditreport.com and the nationwide consumer reporting companies will not send you an email asking for your personal information. If you get an email, see a pop-up ad, or get a phone call from someone claiming to be from annualcreditreport.com or any of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies, do not reply or click on any link in the message. It’s probably a scam. Forward any such email to the FTC at spam@uce.gov.

[john9001]

you better check your credit report or you could end up singing in a restaurant to tourists in t-shirts.

[DYNAMITE]

Originally posted by john9001
you better check your credit report or you could end up singing in a restaurant to tourists in t-shirts.

That or when you try to roll phat, you and your home boys will just get laughed at (in your Geo Metro)

[SaburoS]

Originally posted by Tac
If that free credit report website was created/sponsored by the 3 credit reporting agencies then why isnt it mentioned on the 3 agency's websites?

Im not giving my info on that website otherwise.

The link I furnished is legit and safe. Just make sure you sweep your computer for spyware first before typing in any confidential info.

[Kermit de frog]

Thanks for this info SaburoS.

[Kermit de frog]

Is the credit score supposed to be free?
Edit:
Not the credit report, but the actual credit score is what I'm asking.
The three companies are asking for a few dollars each.

[Kermit de frog]

I read it again and it doesn't say anyting about the score being free.

[SaburoS]

I posted about that in the beginning of the thread. The credit check is free, the score is additional for a fee (typically $4.95 to 7.95).

[LePaul]

Transunion is a pain.

Here's what happened to me...my credit union was bought up and absorbed into a larger one.  Somehow, in the transferring of accounts and such, some old car and motorcycle loans from the mid 90s, which were paid in full, were set to active an outstanding.

So imagine my shock when I check my score, expecting a high score and see a much lower one.  Spoke the credit union and they fixed it within an hour.  They said to challenge the credit report, going to all 3 major's sites and doing so.

Two allowed me to do so for free.  Transunion insisted on asking for a unique credit report only they generate.  And, for a $34.95 fee.

I opted to skip them and hope the next updates would be reflected in their report too.  It was.

But knowing you have a sunk score on one til then really irked me.

Thanks for the link