How can you get a free copy of credit report? What are the different ways to get such copy?

It has been made mandatory by the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) that all the US consumers will be entitled to a free copy of credit report every year. The objective behind this is to make the consumers updated and aware of their credit status, their credit score, and if needed, they can fight any discrepancy of their report or fight any identity theft. The consumers can, however, get such copies free of cost once in 12 months at their request. The FCRA upholds the privacy and the accuracy of consumer information in the files from the three credit reporting agencies. The nation’s consumer protection agency, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is responsible to enforce the FCRA in respect with the credit bureaus.

Now how can you get a free copy of credit report? Remember that the report copy is not sent to the consumers automatically each year. You need to initiate the request for the same. You can get the report by three means such as through online, by phone, or by mail. If you want a free copy of credit report online, you can log on to www.annualcreditreport.com. This is the only authorized source for you to access your annual credit report. Be informed that this site is only accessible through Internet Service Providers located within the USA and its territories. Please beware of imposter sites, which promise to get you a free copy of credit report. In fact, they might charge you for this while you log on to those sites. They may also ask for personal information such as SSN or credit card numbers, your email ids and so on to process your request. DO NOT proceed and fall prey to them. Instead, forward your spam report to spam@uce.gov. They are authorized to handle such fraud sites.

You can also get your copy of annual report by making a simple call at (877) 322-8228. Just stay patient with the IVR (Interactive Voice Recorder) when you make a call. They will ask you some personal information to process your request. Remain prepared for this.

Finally, you can ask for a free copy of your credit report by snail mail. Fill in the Annual Credit Report Form on the Annual Credit Report Request brochure and mail it to : Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281. You can also get the brochure from www.ftc.gov/credit. Print it and send it to the mailbox.

Keep this in mind that you can order a free copy of credit report at one time or at different times throughout the year. Besides, you can also get your annual credit report if any of your loan applications or insurance policy is denied, or if you are applying for unemployment or any public assistance. Whatever the way you choose, just make sure you do it through right channel and on time.