how can i get a free credit report

As American you have a right of access to information on your credit report, which in 2003 is the reason why the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act was in place - it states that any person can be a free copy the credit report. Your free credit report is a document that the consumer is one of these three sources - Equifax, Experian and TRANS UNION.

Free Credit Score reports are not sent automatically to every person in the country - you have to take the initiative to protect your credit Score to your own address. There are three ways to order your credit report - the first is that you go online and search for information from the government about the websites that are authorized to show you your credit score over the Internet. This is the easiest way to access your Credit Score, because you do not e-mail or something to wait for the results. The three companies that hold your credit report - TRANS UNION, Equifax, and Experion - should be a kind of online access.

Otherwise, there is a number you can call if you are not Internet savvy and would rather speak to someone directly about your credit report - you should be able to select a number for each reporting agency. TRANS UNION is easy to find information, as is Equifax and Experion.

Another way to protect your credit report, fill out a form that you find on the back of the "Annual Credit Report Request" brochure that you receive via e-mail from the FTC each year. Once you have completed the form simply mail back to the FTC, on the services they have for requesting your annual credit report from all three credit reporting agencies - TRANS UNION, Equifax and Experion.

You also have the choice to either order all three reports at once, or select the time of year you need information from each Credit Bureau. Ordering from the FTC centralizes the process, so you do not to pay a fee to your credit report from each Credit Bureau. If you have direct contact with the agencies, you will be charged to the report, even if you are entitled to free your information. Sometimes, the criteria to receive a free report, but it's just simple and easy to go through the FTC.

So, watch out for fraudulent websites that send you your credit report for a fee. You should not pay for something that gives you free, and you have a right to access - after all, your credit report contains your personal information.

There are other ways to get a free credit report as well - you can create a free report if you have a loan denied insurance or employment because of the credit - you can see why you were denied. You can also use a free report when you apply for unemployment or public assistance, or if you live in a state that provides free credit reports as a matter of course.

To learn more about your Free Credit Report, visit the Consumer Review Web Site.