When I was doing research on credit cards yesterday, I came across the two videos below from the Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC wants you to know that AnnualCreditReport.com is the ONLY authorized source for the free annual credit report that’s yours by law.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees you access to your credit report for free from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion – every 12 months.
The FTC has received complaints from consumers who thought they were ordering their free annual credit report, and but couldn’t get it without paying fees or buying other services. TV ads, e-mail offers, or online search results may tout “free” credit reports, but there’s only one authorized source for a truly free credit report.
Due to the problems consumers were having, the FTC now requires this wording in a box on Web sites that say they offer free credit reports:
You have the right to a free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com or 877-322-8228, the ONLY authorized source under federal law.
Check out the videos below. They’re in response to TV ads by a company that said they offered free credit reports, which featured a guitar-playing young man who was having money problems.
