The Ins & Outs Of Getting And Using Your Free Credit Report
Regular readers of Consumerist know full well that those websites like FreeCreditReport.com and FreeScore.com (you'll forgive us for not actually linking to them) are not exactly what their names might have you believe. But there are new consumers born every day, so it doesn't hurt clarifying once again that there is only one place to score your credit reports with no strings attached.
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Someone Steals My Credit Card Number So They Can Buy Credit Protection From Experian
Credit protection programs often cost money. So what's a someone who can't get the credit to buy such a program supposed to do? Well, in this case the answer was apparently "steal someone else's credit card number."
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Does A Bad Credit Score Mean You'll Be Bad At Your Job?
A growing number of employers are running credit checks on potential hires before making a job offer. Unfortunately, there are a large number of people out there whose credit reports are still marred by the recent and ongoing economic troubles. So does it make sense to consider an applicant's credit history?
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Freeze Your Credit Report
One way to protect yourself from identity theft is to "freeze" your credit report. This means that no new lines of credit can be opened in your name because lenders are prevented from taking a look at your credit report. This stops identity thieves from opening credit cards under your name and going on spending sprees. It also means extra hassle for you when you want to legitimately open credit. There's always a tradeoff between security and convenience. Here's how to do it.
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5 Myths About Your Credit Score
How one's credit score is computed is to most people a complete mystery, akin to figuring out a quarterback's passer rating. Thus, there are numerous myths and half-truths that have attached themselves to credit scores, some of them having at least a partial basis in fact.
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How Long Should Paid-Off Medical Debt Be Part Of Your Credit Report?
Right now, any medical debt that gets sent to a collections agency can remain on your credit report for up to seven years, even after it's been paid off. This ding on your credit score can be the difference between qualifying for a loan or being denied. That's why the House Committee on Financial Services is looking at a bill that would erase some paid medical debts from folks' credit reports.
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Do VIP's Get Privileged Treatment From Credit Bureaus?
NYT reports that the three major credit bureaus each keep a special VIP list of important people who are given preferential treatment when fixing their credit reports. The list has the names of celebrities, politicians, judges and others on it. When they have errors on their reports, they are fixed by employees who work in America, and fixed swiftly. The rest of us get our requests shunted overseas to be dealt with in a cursory manner.
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Trying To Ruin Your Ex's Credit Score Is Not A Good Way Of Getting Revenge
When a romance goes south, it's not unheard of for at least one of the parties involved to begin dreaming up clever ways to continue making the other person's life hell. And one thing you definitely don't want to do is try to screw with your ex's credit score.
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Someone Explain To Experian How American Express Cards Work
How does American Express work? Michael writes that Experian doesn't seem to understand how the company's credit limits work. His card technically has no limit, and this confuses Experian. They coped with the confusion by showing that instead of having theoretically infinite available credit, he had $0, making his pristine record look pretty bad to potential lenders.
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The Credit Score Experian Is Selling You Isn't The One Lenders Consider
If you've ever turned on a TV, you've seen those dudes singing about getting your credit score and making it seem like a good thing to do. Which it is, really, important to know that kind of thing. But a a new lawsuit filed against Experian, a super huge credit bureau, says that the company is intentionally misleading consumers about their scores.
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Experian Adds Rent Payments To Credit Reports
In what could be a boon to renters looking to build a credit history (or bad news if you have a roommate who always delays your rent), credit reporting agency Experian has begun incorporating data on rental payments into its reports.
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Expedia Pulls American Airlines Listings From Site
Expedia.com has wasted no time in picking the first travel industry fight of 2011. Less than two weeks after American Airlines
parted ways with Orbitz.com, Expedia has made its stance clear by removing all American listings from its pages.
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Convincing The Credit Bureaus I Wasn't Dead
A writer for Slate shares the tell of her trying to convince Experian and Transunion that she is not deceased, as being dead is a bit of a problem when you're trying to buy an apartment. Transunion only took one phone call and one fax to Lazarus her, but Experian was an abyss of despair, until, out of the darkness, a ray of hope emerged...
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MTV News Becomes Paid Shill For FreeCreditScore.com
Maybe you didn't take MTV News too seriously to begin with, but if you did you might want to reconsider. BrandChannel started noticing that MTV News was posting articles about FreeCreditScore.com's contest for a new sellout band for its TV spots. (This is the same company as FreeCreditReport.com; both charge for their services and generally suck.) The problem with the paid MTV sponsorship is that it's
not disclosing that the "news stories" are just advertorials.
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How To Dispute Credit Report Errors
Over 80% of credit reports have errors on them, errors which could be lowering your credit score and keeping you from getting credit or paying more for it than you should. Here's how to fix them:
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FreeCreditReport.com Just Got Even Less Free
Between their irritating ads and misleading name, FreeCreditReport.com
has been a target of Consumerist's derision for years. And now the "service," which was never free to begin with, will actually cost you a dollar to use.
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Come September, Freecreditreport.com Must Come Clean In Ads
If you really love those Freecreditreport.com commercials just the way they are, take this next half year to pause and reflect on what they mean to you, because in September, the Huffington Post reports, owner
Experian will have to start telling people their side business isn't the real way to get free annual credit reports from the government. We
had this story last year, but in the wake of CARD act reforms, it bears repeating.
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Experian Sued Over Deceptive FreeCreditReport.com Ads
Freecreditreport.com is getting class action sued, baby. Their ubiquitous singing ads make it sound like you'll go their website and get a free credit report, but they don't tell you that's only after you sign up for a $14.95 monthly credit monitoring service. "FreeCreditReport.com tells people they will get something for free, and you do, but you have to pay for something else, and there's not sufficient notice," said John Balestriere, lead attorney. I agree, so I made up my own parody Freecreditreport song:
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Get Ready To Disclose A Lot More Information When Applying For Credit
The downside to responsible lending is that the lenders will need more information about you, says the WSJ.
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Experian Fixes Messed Up Credit Report By Deleting Everything
Monique X. is trying to get a loan to consolidate her debts into a more affordable payment. She writes that she's been careful with her credit history and knew that her credit score was adequate to get approved at her bank, "even with the economy the way it is." That's when she discovered that someone else's accounts had been folded into hers, and that Experian's solution to their error was as bad as the problem.
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36 Risk Factors Creditors Use To Deny You Credit
—>Lenders can use the data from your credit report to deny you credit for any one of several reasons. If you are denied, you receive a letter identifying the credit reporting agency that provided the report, along with a risk factor reason code. Bargaineering published a list of the common risk factor codes that lenders use to deem you unworthy of credit. For all three reporting agencies, the cardinal sins are owing too much and failing to pay your bills. The list of codes, inside. More »
Will My Credit Score Hurt If I Pay Off And Close My Credit Card?
—>Does paying off and closing a credit card hurt your credit score? That's a two-part question. The answer to the first one is no, it helps, and the answer to the second is yes, closing your credit card hurts your credit score. Credit bureau Exerpian's "Ask Max" says, More »
McDonald's Remains America's Favorite Fast Food Restaurant
—>Consumer research company Experian Simmons (yes, owned by Experian), has released a new study of fast food industry covering the past 5 years, and it looks like we still love going to McDonald's more than any other fast food restaurant. More »
Experian Stoppped Selling FICO b/c Contract Dispute (FICO '08 Related?)
—>Just like I figured, the reason Experian won't sell you your FICO score anymore is because of a contract dispute with the Fair Issac corporation, and I'm guessing it has to do with the rollout of FICO '08 More »
VantageScore And PlusScore Are Garbage Credit Scores
—>Would you buy a credit score that lenders don't even use? Check it, when Consumer Reports went over the the fine print, Experian's "VantageScore" says that it's "for educational purposes only." And their "PLUSscore" is "not currently sold to lenders." What good does that do you? None. It's just something for them to market and make money money off people who don't know any better. More »
Experian Yanks FICO Score Away From Consumers
—>Soon consumers will only be able to see two out of the three credit scores lenders use to judge their credit worthiness. Out of nowhere, Experian announced it will no longer be selling its version of the FICO score through myFICO.com. More »
How Credit Bureaus Correct, Or Fail To Correct, Errors On Your Report
—>SmartMoney's Anne Kadet looked into the process by which the three major credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax—investigate and correct errors on credit reports. What she found was that the process is "almost entirely automated," and that "many lenders respond by simply rereporting the erroneous data." Here's how it works, and your meager options when something goes wrong. More »
Debunking Five Credit Score Myths
—>Your credit score. It's amazing how one little score can have such an impact on our finances and how misunderstood that number can be. We'll debunk five common myths about it right here, right now. More »
Check Your Credit History Year-Round, For Free
—>Statistics show that 80% of credit histories have at least one error. Most of them are minor and inconsequential but some can have an adverse effect on your credit score, often costing your thousands on mortgages and car loans. I believe credit bureaus were so lackadaisical about accuracy because it forced consumers to buy their credit reporting services. You wouldn't know there's an error unless you paid Equifax for a copy of your report. Fortunately, federal law now makes it possible for us to police our own records and force bureaus to correct them, all on their dime. Here's how: More »
Hard And Soft Credit Inquiries, And How One Hurts Your Credit Score
Did you know that when a company checks out your credit report, it can damage your credit score temporarily? It depends on if the inquiry is "hard" or "soft." Hard inquiries ding your score, soft don't. If you're going to get a mortgage or a car loan, a few points difference translates into a big chunk of change. So how do you know when an inquiry is going to be "soft" or "hard?"
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Judge Orders Credit Reporting Bureaus To Strike Forgiven Debts From Records
—>The three big credit reporting agencies—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax—have been inaccurately reporting debts on millions of consumers' credit reports even after the debts have been forgiven during bankruptcy filings. Once forgiven, the debts are supposed to be removed from credit reports, but the agencies are continuing to report them as active. They have until October 1st to comply with Judge David O. Carter's order to "revamp their systems," writes Jane J. Kim on the Wall Street Journal's finance blog. Now if you're in debt trouble, you can look forward (?) to having either unpaid debts on your credit report, or a bankruptcy filing, but hopefully no longer both at the same time. More »
Consumer 101: Get Your Free Credit Report From "Annual Credit Report.com"
—>You've probably seen those commercials featuring a friendly looking jackass and his factually inaccurate songs about what can happen to you if you don't check your credit report. It's true, checking your credit report is a good idea, but you can avoid subscription-hawking pay sites and, instead, go to AnnualCreditReport.com. More »
Really, Credit Bureaus, I'm Not Dead
I have been battling with a silly preconception the federal government has concerning my status as a deceased person, that causes them to routinely shut down credit cards that I am using, and stresses my ability to build credit. (All this despite being actively enlisted in the US Navy)...
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Mailing Addresses For TransUnion, Experian, Equifax
—>Having trouble finding the mailing address for any of the three major credit bureaus, TransUnion, Experian, Equifax? Here they are: More »
5 No BS Ways To Get A Credit Score For Free
Here are 5 ways to get your credit score for free. Note, all of them are the credit scores developed by the credit bureaus themselves, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, and are not your actual FICO scores. Only the FICO score is used by lenders to determine your credit worthiness. However, you can at least use these credit bureau scores to get a general sense of how good your credit is.
Leukemia Survivor Who Had Identity Stolen By Lab Tech Tells His Story
We wrote about Eric Drew a few weeks ago—his personal information was stolen by a shady lab technician while he was undergoing treatment in 2004.
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This Is Why You Don't Use FreeCreditReport.com
—> Jesus from South Texas signed up for credit monitoring at the notoriously scammy FreeCreditReport.com. He never received the confirmation email and wasn't able to access his account, so he never used it, but forgot to call to cancel it. After three months he realized he was being charged $15 a month as per their terms of service, so he went to their site to retrieve his login credentials and was told the account didn't exist. After that, it took him 4 calls to get the account canceled, and they would only refund him for one month of service. One of their CSRs tried to scare Jesus into keeping the account open because there had been some "suspicious activity" in his credit history that he'd be wise to monitor. Then they told him there is no phone number or email for their "customer satisfaction department"—it can only be reached through snail mail. More »
Reach Experian Executive Customer Service
(714) 830-7000 is answered by a live human being
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How filing a fraud alert with each of the three major credit bureaus works, as told by a blogger who recently had to go through the process. [No Credit Needed] More »
Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion To Offer Credit Freezes
—>All three credit reporting agencies recently announced plans to let consumers freeze their credit files. Credit freezes provide security at the cost of convenience: access to credit reports and scores is prevented without the consumer's express authorization, making it difficult to open new accounts or lines of credit. Freezes are considered one of the best, albeit drastic, ways to guard against identity theft. More »
TransUnion Will Let You Freeze Your Credit Report
—> Beginning October 15th, credit reporting company TransUnion will let consumers freeze their credit reports, which means imposters will not be able to use your credit to do things like open new phone accounts or sign up for credit cards. While this is great news, the other two major credit reporters, Experian and Equifax, are so far not offering a similar feature, although they say they're considering it. More »
Credit Reports: How Long Different Items Stay
—>Ask Max has a detailed list of how long different types of credit items stay on your report. More »
Credit Report Nightmare: Damned By Apostrophe, Saved By The Letter M
—>This is the story of a girl named Corey O'Malley, and a boy named Corey O'Malley, who had their credit reports accidentally merged. More »
Are Minors Responsible For Their Credit Card Debts?
—>We've had a couple of different people ask recently if one is responsible for credit card debts made as a minor. See, people under 18 aren't supposed to get credit cards (unless an adult cosigns). Now, some of these people lied about their age to get the cards. That's fraud. Fraud is bad. Don't do it. More »
Experian Announces Service That Notifies Collection Agencies Of Your Ability To Pay
The introduction of additional trigger criteria and attributes within Collection Triggers increases the ability for companies to act quickly when new information is available. Subscribers to Collection Triggers are notified within 24 hours when the financial status of a consumer within their collection portfolio has improved. "Collection Triggers increases revenue by allowing companies to be first to the door of consumers who have improved their ability to pay," said Zaydoon H. Munir, senior vice president, Experian's Consumer Information Solutions. My, what a lovely industry.
—MEGHANN MARCO More »
Get Another Free Credit Report, Even If You've Used Up Your Free One
There is another way to get a free credit report if you've already used up your free one per year through annualcreditreport.com. More »
Delete Negative Items From Your Credit Report
—>Recently we checked out our credit report and were surprised to see a $500 unpaid charge. It was from a video store we frequented in college. (We could've sworn we returned Wicker Man....) The video store had never sent us any notice and the debt was sold to a collection agency, who had also never contacted us. Odd. More »
Florida AG Investigates FreeCreditReport.com
—>The Florida Attorney General's office has opened an investigation into FreeCreditReport.com for, "failure to adequately disclose negative option enrollment ... deceptive advertising, misleading domain name, and failure to honor cancellations." More »
Free Credit Report Nightmare Yields New 'Screw Off!' Champ!
—>We think we have a new favorite "go screw" line from a company: We understand that the privacy and security of your information is important to you; therefore we cannot provide a specific reason as to why we cannot fulfill your request. That just punches a steaming hand, Fist of the North Star style, right through the sternum of our old fave, We appreciate your concerns. More »
