CONSUMER ALERT
MIKE COX
ATTORNEY
GENERAL
The Attorney General provides Consumer Alerts to
inform the public of unfair, misleading, or deceptive business practices, and to
provide information and guidance on other issues of concern.
FREE ANNUAL CREDIT REPORTS -
WHAT CONSUMERS SHOULD KNOW
Michigan consumers can order a
free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting companies every
year. Consumers can order their free annual credit reports by mail, by
telephone, or online. To maximize your protection against fraudulent activity,
order one report from a different company every fourth month.
ORDER YOUR FREE ANNUAL CREDIT REPORTS
These are the only ways to get free credit reports without any strings
attached. The "free" credit reports advertised by other sources are not really
free!
We
recommend that when you order you request that no more than the last four digits
of your Social Security Number appear on copies of your credit report.
If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to place a fraud alert
on your file and to receive copies of your credit report from each of the three
credit reporting companies free of charge, regardless whether you have
previously ordered your free annual reports. For more information on ID theft,
including advice for victims and tips on prevention, review the Attorney
General's Consumer Alert on ID Theft at
www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-17343_18163-80479--,00.html
OVERVIEW
This Alert tells consumers:
-
why they should review their
credit reports;
-
why they should be cautious
if ordering their free annual credit reports online;
-
what precautions they can
take if ordering by phone or mail;
-
what they should look for
when reviewing credit reports; and
-
where to turn for more
information.
This Consumer Alert
may contain links to websites of non-governmental organizations. The Attorney
General's Office lists such sites for the convenience of consumers and does not
necessarily endorse specific positions of these organizations.
INTRODUCTION
Reviewing your credit reports can help you detect fraudulent activity early,
allowing you to take effective steps to limit the headaches you may encounter if
you are a victim of identity theft. Knowing what's in your report before you
apply for a loan or a job may also be helpful.
You have a right to order your
free annual credit report from each of the three major consumer credit reporting
companies (CRC): Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. However, it is not
necessary for you to order all three at the same time.
If you are a victim of
identity theft, you are entitled to place a fraud alert on your file and to
receive copies of your credit report from each of the three CRCs free of charge,
regardless whether you have previously ordered your free annual reports. For
more information on ID theft, including advice for victims and tips on
prevention, review the Attorney General's Consumer Alert on ID Theft at
www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-17343_18163-80479--,00.html
BEFORE YOU ORDER YOUR FREE ANNUAL
CREDIT REPORTS
-
The three CRCs have established a single service for consumers to use when
ordering free credit reports. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
ORDER FREE CREDIT REPORTS DIRECTLY FROM THE CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES.
-
You will be asked to provide sensitive information in order to receive your
report. This is necessary to prevent ID thieves from obtaining copies of
other people's credit reports.
! WARNINGS FOR CONSUMERS ORDERING CREDIT
REPORTS ONLINE !
Beware of e-mails, banner ads,
pop-up and pop-under Internet ads, and telemarketing calls that promise to
obtain your "free annual credit report" on your behalf. In particular, e-mail
messages or internet ads claiming to be from
www.annualcreditreport.com ARE LIKELY TO BE FRAUDS SEEKING TO TRICK
CONSUMERS INTO SHARING THEIR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND, MOST LIKELY, BECOMING
VICTIMS OF ID THEFT. Forward scam e-mails to the FTC at
spam@uce.gov.
Consumers thinking about
ordering their free annual credit report online should proceed WITH CAUTION and
be aware of possible risks.
- Do NOT order credit reports
using a computer that is accessible to the public unless you are CERTAIN that
adequate safeguards exist to prevent:
- "Shoulder surfing" --
people watching or even photographing the information you enter on a
computer in a public place;
- Storage of your sensitive
information on the computer, even if only temporarily.
- Your right to free credit
reports does NOT require you to purchase or subscribe to any services. While
you may decide to do so, you are not required to spend any money to exercise
your right to a free credit report.
- Carefully type in the
address of the website, click on the link above, or copy and paste the address
exactly as set forth in this Consumer Alert.
- Even one mistyped letter
could take you to a fraudulent website that looks and feels like a place to
order credit reports but in fact has been set up by ID thieves to harvest
your information.
- Other sites with similar
names exist and may try to sell you credit monitoring services. At least
one of these is operated by Experian and offers a "free" credit report - IF
you sign up for a fee-based service. That page does not advise consumers of
their right to a free credit report without subscribing to a service or
provide a link to
www.annualcreditreport.com.
- The CRCs DO NOT PROVIDE ANY
GUARANTEES IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THEIR WEBSITE. As of the date of
this Consumer Alert, the following "site use" disclaimer exists:
"The services offered on this website are provided
'as is', with no warranties of any kind. If you are not comfortable using this
website, you have the option to request your free annual credit reports through
the telephone and mail request methods."
WHAT'S IN YOUR CREDIT REPORT?
Your credit report contains a
collection of sensitive personal and financial information about you gathered
from a variety of sources. You may view a sample credit report from Experian at:
www.experian.com/credit_report_basics/pdf/samplecreditreport1.pdf
You can expect your credit
report to contain:
- Personal information,
including your current and other recent addresses, telephone numbers, Social
Security Number, and birth information.
- A detailed credit history,
including information on loans, credit cards, and timeliness of payments.
- "Public" records, such as
bankruptcies, judgments, liens, etc.
- A list of all persons or
organizations who have requested a copy of your credit report in the last six
months. This list may be long and could include:
-
Requests by creditors;
-
Requests by you, the consumer;
-
Requests for promotional purposes.
(These include prescreened credit offers, which you can elect not to receive
by calling 888-567-8688 or completing the online form at
www.optoutprescreen.com.)
Your report may also contain a
statement of dispute you, or one of your creditors, may have submitted regarding
a disputed item on your credit report. (Information on disputing errors on
your report is set forth below.)
WHAT
SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR ON YOUR CREDIT REPORT?
When you receive your reports,
check each section carefully and determine whether you believe the information
is correct. Your report could alert you to fraudulent activity being carried on
in your name by an ID thief or other inaccurate information that could affect
your ability to obtain a loan.
In particular, be sure to
review:
-
Your personal information:
are there addresses or variations on your name that are wrong?
-
Statements of credit
accounts: are there credit card accounts or other debts that you are not
familiar with?
-
Potentially negative entries:
are there unpaid debts listed on accounts you never opened?
-
Public record information: is
this information accurate?
WHAT TO DO
ABOUT INACCURATE INFORMATION
- Clearly identify the
inaccurate information on your credit report and dispute it, IN WRITING, with
both the CRC that issued the report with inaccurate information and any
creditors with which the information is associated.
- For more information, review
the FTC's summary on disputing credit errors:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre21.shtm
- If accurate information is
not removed or reappears, you may wish to consult with a private attorney
regarding possible legal actions.
- Here is contact information
for the 3 credit reporting agencies and links to their web pages informing
consumers how to dispute inaccurate information:
Equifax ?
www.equifax.com
To report fraud, call: 1-800-525-6285
and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
For information on disputing errors, you may visit:
www.econsumer.equifax.com/consumer/sitepage.ehtml?forward=elearning_credit13
Experian -
www.experian.com
To report fraud, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
and write: P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013
For information on disputing errors, you may visit:
www.experian.com/disputes/index.html (online dispute form)
TransUnion -
www.transunion.com
To report fraud, call: 1-800-680-7289
and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division
P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
For information on disputing errors, you may visit:
www.transunion.com/content/page.jsp?id=/personalsolutions/general/data/DisputeCreditReport.xml
- If you believe you are a
victim of ID theft, ask for a "fraud alert" to be placed on your file and
request that no new credit be granted without your express, personal
approval. Ask how long your account will be flagged. Record the expiration
date of the fraud alert, and call back as this date approaches if you wish the
alert to remain on your file. Review the Attorney General's Consumer Alert on
ID theft for further information:
www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-17343_18163-80479--,00.html
YOUR RIGHT
TO FREE ANNUAL CREDIT REPORTS FROM OTHER, "SPECIALTY" CREDIT REPORTING COMPANIES
You also have a right to order
free annual credit reports from other "nationwide specialty consumer reporting
agencies." These are companies that maintain specific types of files on
consumers, such as employment history, tenant history, medical records, and
insurance claims. There are many specialty CRCs, and each must maintain a
toll-free telephone number through which consumers may request a free copy of
their credit report once every 12 months.
Neither the FTC nor the trade
association of credit bureaus (CDIA) has chosen to publicize contact information
for the specialty CRCs, and the Attorney General's Office does not currently
have access to a list of these toll-free numbers. However, the following web
page maintains a partial list of specialty CRCs and their contact information:
The information below was taken
from this web page in February 2008. While the Attorney General's Office cannot
vouch for the continuing accuracy of information from this source, consumers may
wish to visit this website periodically for updated information.
Insurance History:
Employment History:
Residential Tenant History:
Check Writing History:
-
CheckRite:
(800) 766-2748
-
Chexsystems:
(800)
428-9623
-
CheckCenter/CrossCheck:
(800) 843-0760
-
Certegy/Equifax:
(800) 437-5120
-
International Check
Services:
(800) 526-5380
-
SCAN:
(800) 262-7771
-
TeleCheck:
(800) 710-9898
Medical Records or Payments:
OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT CREDIT
REPORTING AGENCIES AND CREDIT REPORTS
- You have a separate right,
whether you order free annual reports or not, to receive credit reports if you
are a victim of ID theft (see
below) or
you experience adverse action from a company that has ordered your credit
report, such as a denial of credit or employment. To learn more about
circumstances that entitle you to receive a free credit report and for other
information, review the FTC's summary of your rights under the Fair Credit
Reporting Act:
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fcrasummary.pdf.
- You have a right to order -
for a charge - a copy of your credit score. Your credit score is a number
generated on the basis of your credit history ? which may or may not be
accurate. Your credit score is used by lenders to evaluate your suitability
as a borrower. Errors in your credit report can affect your credit score and,
in turn, your ability to get a loan or to obtain a favorable interest rate.
You are not required to order your credit score.
- You have a right to have
your name removed from lists the credit reporting agencies sell for
"prescreened credit offers" (such as unsolicited credit card offers) by
calling 888-567-8688, or completing the online form at
www.optoutprescreen.com.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Consumers may contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at:
Consumer Protection Division
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
517-373-1140
Fax: 517-241-3771
Toll free 1-877-765-8388
www.michigan.gov/ag
Other consumer alerts from the
Attorney General's Office are available at:
www.michigan.gov/consumeralerts.
Additional information is
available at the FTC's website:
ID Theft Home Page:
www.consumer.gov/idtheft
En Espaņol:
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/espanol.html
The following websites provide
further information on ID theft, credit reports, and other issues involving the
security and privacy of consumers' personal information.
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