True Credit Report

With all of the free credit report rhetoric utilized on websites trying to profit in some way from your naivete, it can be confusing to figure out where to turn to get a copy of your true credit report. Like in many areas of life, this conundrum is often solved with the simplest possible method—contacting the credit reporting agency itself.

Understanding Credit Reporting Agencies

There are three credit reporting agencies to work with—Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. Some of your creditors will likely submit your credit history information to all three credit reporting agencies while some will only work with one or two. That is why it is important to get your true credit report from all three agencies since each could have different information that they are giving to those you request credit from.

What You Should Know

If you are denied credit by a creditor, you can get your true credit report for free from whichever credit reporting agency that creditor used to get your information and make their decision. Additionally, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that each reporting agency send you a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months, at your request. You can also pay between $8 and $15 to get a copy of your credit report from each of the individual agencies. Some of the agencies offer a 3-in-1 deal for about $35 which gives you your credit report from each agency along with your FICO score.

So remember, the best way to ensure that you are not being scammed when attempting to get your true credit report is to go to the source of the information—the actual reporting agencies—and request your reports from them.