If you are a US consumer, you are entitled to an annual free credit report, by order of the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). By getting this report, you ensure that you are informed, that you can protect yourself against identity theft, and that you get the proper fair treatment. An annual free credit report is extremely important because the raw data goes into your credit score. So how can you get the annual free credit report? Well, for your convenience, all the credit reporting agencies have come together, to build a website called AnnualCreditReport.com -  you can get your report from that site. Of course, another way would be to call the credit agencies directly, and request one. But you should be informed that if you follow this method, you might just have to pay.


When requesting your annual free credit report, you need to keep certain information ready – like your name, your address, your Social Security number, and also your date of birth. If you’ve had a few changes of address over the past few years, keep that ready as well. A security measure is also taken into account, so you will also be asked to part with some information that only you are privy to, like perhaps a token payment of some sort at some time. An annual free credit report is available online, instantly, but if you use their toll-free number, you might have to wait a fortnight or so.

When viewing your annual free credit report, you should be wary of advertisements that try to sell you items, which may cost a lot of money. Viewing the credit report annually is a relatively easy process, it doesn’t take up too much of your time, and most importantly – it helps you to catch or prevent identity theft. All you need to do is just log on to the site listed, and then follow the instructions which have been given. Give your personal details, and your personal financial history. Then you will be given three links of different credit agencies – you can access each of their reports annually, for free. You can print them out if you want. And even after you’ve accessed it, you can see it online for a brief amount of time.

Now when you view the annual free credit report, determine whether you can recognize each single account that has been opened in your name. Check for late payments, check for default notices, and if you don’t see an account as familiar, then enquire into it. After you’ve viewed and printed the credit report, store it somewhere safe, so that identity-thieves can’t get at it. And we give you a slight tip – if you see that there is a discrepancy on your credit report, act without hesitation, it probably means you have been the victim of identity theft. So open an enquiry into it.
In this article, we have showed you very simple ways to view your annual free credit report – now you should have no difficulty.