Finally - Free Credit Reports!

After a long wait, consumers can obtain the congressionally mandated (the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003) credit report due yearly to each American. Free of charge, the reports can be obtained from the three largest credit reporting firms.
These reports can be requested through www.AnnualCreditReport.com, a new web site that offers tools to help the consumer guard against identity theft and provide ways to monitor their credit files.

Those living on the West Coast are getting first crack at the service of the web site, as the availability of the free credit reports are being phased in by region, moving from West to East over the next 9 months. The phase-in started in December, 2004 for the West, with the Eastern regions reports becoming available in september, 2005.

It's worth noting that the secure site uses a number of methods to keep your identifying data safe from snoops in transit, which is a good thing, as they require a good deal of specific information. Operated by the three firms it serves (Equifax, Experian and Transunion), it's a fairly easy to navigate site for most people, but be sure to have your financial information available as you work through the verification process.

If there are factual problems that you see in your report, it's recommended that you go directly to the credit reporting agency that generated the report. If you need advice concerning your credit report, you might check with the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (www.privacyrightsclearinghouse.org), Consumers Union (www.consumersunion.org) or the Identity Theft Resource Center (www.idtheftcenter.org)*.

There are three ways to contact this resource:
go to: www.AnnualCreditReport.com
or by telephone ....1-877-322-8228
or by mail....PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281*

Don't forget to read the
Identity Theft Update!
A look at ID theft in California in 2004

* Note! These links reside off the ATDFCU website, and are neither maintained nor verified for accuracy by ATDFCU.
The privacy and security policies may be different than those of ATDFCU.
ATDFCU is not responsible for the contents of these sites.
ATDFCU does not represent the third party or the member if they enter into a transaction

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