Get free credit reports

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 also permits you to request at least one free credit report per year from each of the four major credit reporting agencies. Only one website, annualcreditreport.com, is officially sanctioned for getting reports from the largest three agencies: Equifax and Experian and TransUnion. It will be necessary to provide your Social Security number and answer some questions to prove your identity.

The free reports do not include your credit score. If you click on a button trying to get your score, that is not part of the free service. The button you want looks like the red one above. If you encounter any screen asking you to enter credit card information, you have detoured away from the free service.

GET FREE EQUIFAX, EXPERIAN AND/OR TRANSUNION REPORTS

The fourth  agency is less well-known.
GET FREE REPORT BY POSTAL MAIL FROM INNOVIS

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Adverse credit history may impede your ability to rent an apartment, obtain loans at favorable interest rates, or apply for a job -- especially a job handling finances or sensitive data. File a dispute to get your data corrected if you find errors in a credit report. Monitoring your credit reports can also help you detect an occurrence of identity theft.