By law, you are entitled to one free government credit report each year, but you have to apply to get it. The consumer reporting companies are covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act to ensure privacy and accuracy.

Your credit report has information like where you live, how your bills are paid, whether you have been bankrupt, sued or arrested. The consumer reporting agencies sell your credit report to companies that need the information to help them make decisions about whether to lend you money, extend you credit, rent you a property, offer you insurance or give you a job.

There are a few reasons why you would want a copy of your credit report. You might want to make sure the report contains accurate and factual information before you apply for a loan, for insurance or new employment, to make sure that there isn’t anything incorrectly in the report that could affect your approval chances.

Other reasons people get their free annual credit report include protection against identity theft or if they have been refused credit and they need to find what is in their credit report that could have caused the refusal.

You have certain rights under the Act which have been determined by FACT – Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions. There are three national consumer reporting agencies, and they are accessible through a central, combined website, a mailing address and a toll free phone number. You are entitled to one credit report, from each of the three companies, per year.

A good place to start is to visit the website – www. Annualcreditreport. Com, where you will find answers to any questions you might have and information as to how to apply for your report to be sent to you. You will have to fill in the usual information to identify yourself: name, birth date, address, SS number. You will need to give your past address if you have moved within the past two years. There may be extra questions asked in order to make sure you are entitled to get your report.

This is the only website legally authorized to provide your government credit report, so beware of other websites that try to lure you into giving out personal details or handing over some money. You will not need to “subscribe” to anything to get your free credit report, so any website that asks for you to “sign up” is not genuine. These websites have no access to your credit report anyway.

The official website will never send emails asking for personal information or money, so you can be confident that your privacy is safe when you apply for your annual government credit report.

For information and tips on free credit report score and free copy of my credit report , visit Online Credit Report

Other Blogs of Interest

• Is there a central location to view and print all three of your credit reports? | Credit Reports
• 3 Ways To Get Your Free Annual Credit Report | Steve Hookers Blog
• Measures For Prevention Of Credit Card Fraud | Agent Builder Blogosphere
• Repair Bad Credit Guide | 9DOWNSOFT Finance