Clark Howard's Tips

The only true FREE credit report site

December 27, 2006

There is only one official site where you can get your credit report for free. The site is annualcreditreport.com.

There are many other phony sites out there that claim they offer free reports, but it is not true. Instead they charge you a fee for various services.

CLARK'S TIP TOPICS Consumer Tips Managing Money Banks & Credit Cards Technology Health & Healthcare Car Costs Homes Phones & Utilities Small Business Travel & Leisure Find more consumer advice in Clark Howard's book, "Get Clark Smart"

One of these phony sites — freecreditreport.com — is actually owned by Experian, one of the credit bureaus.

Some states, including Florida, are so fed up with the deception that they are suing the bogus site.

None of the advertisements you see are legitimate. Clark knows this because the only real site doesn't advertise.

So, remember, annualcreditreport.com is the only site you need.

More Clark Howard Credit and Banking Tips The dangers of home-equity borrowing  ID checks, minimum purchase rules a no-no with credit cards  The Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter  Advance-fee loans are back with a vengeance  Wachovia, WaMu say goodbye to option payment loans  Cycling your unused credit cards back into the mix  Banks offer diverging interest rates on savings and CDs  Mortgage bailout proposal to help banks, not homeowners  Credit limits being reduced without your knowledge?!  65 million paying for credit monitoring/fraud alert services  Full list