How to Check Your Credit Reports for Free (Every Week)

You can see exactly what Equifax, Experian and TransUnion say about you, for free, and not just once a year. The three nationwide credit bureaus have permanently extended a program that lets you check your report from each of them once a week at no cost, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Here’s how to get them and what to look for.

Use the one official site

The FTC says only one website is authorized to fill orders for the free credit reports you’re entitled to by law: AnnualCreditReport.com. Imposter sites with similar names exist, and some are after your personal information. Type the address yourself instead of clicking a link in an email or ad.

How to get your reports

1. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com and start a request.
2. Enter the details the site asks for to confirm who you are.
3. Choose which bureaus you want. You can pull all three at once or space them out.
4. Complete each bureau’s verification steps, then read and save your report.

Prefer not to do it online? Call 1-877-322-8228 and your reports will be mailed within 15 days, or mail a request to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

What to look for

• Personal details: names, addresses or employers you don’t recognize.
• Accounts: credit cards or loans you never opened.
• Payment history: late payments or balances that don’t match your records.
• Inquiries: lenders checking your credit when you didn’t apply for anything.

Anything you don’t recognize can be a simple mistake, or an early sign of identity theft. Either way, it’s worth acting on.

If something is wrong

The FTC’s advice is to contact both the credit bureau and the business that supplied the information, and ask them to correct it. Keep copies of what you send. If you think someone is using your identity, a credit freeze is a good next step, and it’s free.

When to check

The FTC suggests looking before you apply for credit, a loan, insurance, an apartment or a job. Since the reports are now free every week, a quick look every few months is an easy habit, even when nothing big is coming up.

More on Contoh

• How to Freeze Your Credit (and Unfreeze It When You Need To)
• How to Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN Before Tax Season
• Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Four Habits That Make You a Harder Target

Sources

• Federal Trade Commission: Free Credit Reports