Get My Credit Report

Getting a copy or view of your credit report is easy if you have access to the Internet and a computer. Allowing consumers to see their credit reports once a year was a government mandate passed to protect consumers from identity theft. It also lets consumers know who has been requesting their credit reports. When you view your own credit report, it does not negatively affect your report at all.

There is no trick to knowing how to get a credit report. One website has been developed by the big three credit reporting agencies (CRAs) for consumers to access. It is the only official free credit report website, at www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Consumers may access each of their three CRA credit reports annually. By staggering the access and looking up one every four months, consumers can do ongoing monitoring of activities on their report. Each CRA shares information with the other two, so if something shows up on one report, it should also be on the other two reports.

In addition to the annual three free credit reports consumers are allowed, they may get a free report from the involved credit reporting agency if they are denied credit. There are companies who offer credit report monitoring for a small fee, but consumers can do this themselves quite easily. All that is required when they visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com is to register and fill out a few personal facts, including their Social Security number. The website encrypts information for security and has other security measures in place to protect website users.

The next step is to select which credit report the user wants to view. They are then connected to that company’s website, either Experian, Trans Union or Equifax. Credit reports can be printed out at the websites the user selects. To view the other two, simply return to the landing page of www.AnnualCreditReport.com and repeat the process for each company.

On the main website, there is contact information, addresses and telephone numbers for each credit reporting agency in case the consumer wishes to request a fraud alert be put on their account, or for other direct communication. Consumers may add a personal statement to any entry on their credit report. This can be done to clarify a reason for late payments, like divorce, or to otherwise explain an adverse entry. Any report errors must be corrected in writing.

Consumers should get their credit report whenever they can obtain a free one. Do the three free reports annually, and at any other time when denied credit, employment, or housing rental. Be sure to only use this website, and remember Internet security safety rules. These CRAs will never contact you by email to ask for personal information. Never give out personal information using email links; instead visit the actual website that you have a relationship with and find out if they did ask for information. Most of this type of inquiry for personal information via email is an attempt at scamming you for possible identity theft.