Are You A Victim Of Identity Theft?

How can you be sure if your identity and good name are truly safe? The easiest answer is to periodically review your credit report and check for anomalies such as unrecognized accounts, charges or debts. Most states give a consumer access to one free credit report every year from each of the three national consumer credit reporting agencies, which are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Although you can call each agency individually, AnnualCreditReport.com is the official site to help consumers obtain their free credit reports. This central site allows you to request a free credit file disclosure, commonly called a credit report, once every twelve months from all three agencies listed above.

Unfortunately, consumers often fall victim to scams related to the pursuit of their free credit report. The most common is FreeCreditReport.com, which sells you a credit monitoring service when you attempt to access your “free” information. In fact, the website states: “When you order your free report here, you will begin your free trial membership in Triple AdvantageSM Credit Monitoring. If you don’t cancel your membership within the 30-day trial period, you will be billed $14.95 for each month that you continue your membership.”

Please do not fall victim to this scam. To obtain your free credit report for 2007, visit AnnualCreditReport.com today. If you feel that you are at a particularly high risk of identity theft, your bank or credit card company is usually the best avenue for obtaining a credit monitoring and protection service.