AnnualCreditReport.com Scam or Legit? See My Review For 2013
AnnualCreditReport.com is the only website for free credit reports that is mandated and authorized by the federal government. But it’s still a bit sketchy…
In 2003 President Bush signed into law the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act. One of its provisions required each of the 3 major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) to provide consumers free access to their credit reports every 12 months.
This act gave birth to the AnnualCreditReport.com website, which contrary to popular belief, is not a government ran site. Rather, it is operated by Central Source LLC, which is a joint venture created by the three credit reporting agencies.
Perhaps Central Source LLC needs to take a good hard look at the complaints I am hearing from consumers, because many feel the Annual Credit Report website is a bit scammy, in some regards.
Complaint #1: Misleading Name
First and foremost, let’s talk about the name.
We all remember that imposter website, FreeCreditReport.com, which took a lot of criticism for its similar sounding name (sidenote: they now focus on their other site, FreeCreditScore.com instead). But in all fairness, it’s not like AnnualCreditReport.com has the best name either.
Why? Because with the word “annual” in there, many people assume that means once per year. They think it means they can check their credit report from each of the 3 bureaus once per calendar year (example: Check Equifax once in 2013, once in 2014, and so forth).
Unfortunately, that’s not how it actually works. Rather than going by calendar year, it goes by every 12 months.
When the end of the calendar year rolls around – like Oct, Nov, and Dec – I regularly hear from consumers who rush to check all 3 credit reports, thinking the clock will reset on January 1st. It’s not ‘til the following year when they discover they will have to wait 12 full months after checking before they can do it again. If they would have known that, they wouldn’t have checked all 3 at the same time.
Embarrassing fact? At one point I even believed this was how it worked and made that same mistake.
Complaint #2: Misleading Credit Score Ads
When using the Annual Credit Report website you will be bombarded with paid ads; some clearly identified as such, others not so much.
The TransUnion report is the one I hear the most complaints about, the one that most people allege feels like a scam. Here’s why…
The “I want my free credit score” is an advertisement and so is the Score tab which is next to the Report tab at the top.
Click and you will be taken to this page (I took this screenshot in an earlier year):
It’s not ‘til after you click the “FREE SCORE” button above where you are taken to a page which fully explains that you are actually enrolling in a 7-day trial. Yeah, technically it is free but if you don’t cancel, you will be automatically billed at the regular price (which was $14.95 per month last I checked).
Now in all honesty, I actually don’t have a problem with these types of “free” trial offers. I don’t think they are a scam as long the terms are clearly and prominently identified (in order words, if the consumer truly knows what they’re signing up for).
But when you look at the way TransUnion is peddling this, in my opinion it is done in a less transparent manner than some other websites. Even the highly criticized “free” trial websites of FreeCreditScore.com/FreeCreditReport.com seem to be more upfront.
So talk about irony… everyone promotes AnnualCreditReport.com like it’s the best thing since sliced bread, as if it can do no wrong. But in actuality, it *might* mislead a consumer just like the other sites do. Think about it… would your grandma be confused by that bright red “I want my FREE Credit Score!” link? I know mine would, especially if she erroneously believed she was on a government website.
Complaint #3: Website Not Working
I have heard people allege that there is some sort of AnnualCreditReport.com scam going on when they can’t access the website. Their theory is that it’s allegedly used as a trick, to deter them from the free report and instead, go to credit bureau’s website directly and buy a report.
Coincidentally, while writing this review I actually encountered Experian not being available (pictured left).
But does this make AnnualCreditReport.com a scam? Definitely not. That conspiracy theory is nonsense.
When a bureau is unavailable like this, it’s probably due to routine site maintenance or some other temporary issue. If that happens, just check back later and it should be working. For me, that message was gone 20 minutes later.
Conclusion? This is frustrating to encounter but don’t worry, this is NOT a scam. Just be patient and return a bit later.
Complaint #4: Can’t Confirm Your ID
A couple times when I’ve used the AnnualCreditReport.com website, I wasn’t able to pull all my reports. A message would be spit back saying they can’t confirm my identity and to get the report through this site, I would have to jump through hoops to validate my ID. If I recall correctly, it involved mailing in proof.
On the forum I have seen people say there is a scam going on when this happens. Well guess what? It’s not a scam or trick. The truth is that they really do have to validate you’re the real deal before handing over your personal report. So these complaints are 100% baseless in my opinion.
Complaint #5: Peddling Identity Theft Protection
Thanks to all those TV commercials for LifeLock and Identity Guard, the business of selling monthly ID protection subscriptions seems to be hotter than ever (but it’s debatable whether they’re justified).
So I guess it comes as no surprise that over the last few years, now we not only have to endure ads for credit scores, but also ID monitoring. But fortunately, thus far I haven’t seen any which are confusing like some of the credit score ads are.
But at the end of the day…
…this is still by far the best site to get your credit reports for free. Despite the complaints, AnnualCreditReport.com is NOT a scam.
Sure, the quality of AnnualCreditReport.com is going down as the numbers of ads go up, but it’s still the only legit place you can get a truly free report without having to enroll in some trial offer… as long as you don’t do so accidentally!
I tried to get my scores and all I got was the run around. This is just a phoney attempt for the three credit providers to say they are following the law and supplying free credit reports. File a complaint with the FTC. Make them clean up their act or go out of business.
Worked just fine for me, took only a few minutes and I was able to see my equifax details. No score, just total amounts outstanding and current payments. At least I know now that there isn’t a card out there in my name I don’t know about.
I tried Annualcreditreport.com, but they all told me my report is not available. Now I worry if they will send me commercial advertising letter since they have my address information. Dose anyone have this problem? Hope I just worry too much.
Annualcreditreport.com is a total scam, it is a commercial site that tries to get you to spend money any way they can. If you think you are actually going to get your score (the number) you will not without spending money. It is a difficult site to navigate successfully, and you will be disappointed..
Government recommendation = Bull
the comments people are saying is true it is a little confusing and im a computer tech…it only lets you see 1 of the 3 reports not all 3 even if you select all 3 and it does NOT SHOW YOUR FICO SCORE it CHARGES extra for that i believe it was 8 dollars but if you opt out and try to get it later they double it to like 16 or so the site is misleading a lot of the people actually just want to know the FICO score but its not included in your “credit report” so i guess its good to make sure there is no fraud under your name.
I attempted to retrieve my “free” annual credit report. I was unable to go forward with my request as it stated I had already received my free credit report. This is a great cause for alarm as I have never used this or any site to pull my credit report. It is unclear to me if someone has accessed my information or this is a scam. I tried calling their number, it is a recording with no option to talk with an actual person. Unnerving. I will now call each of the credit bureaus and put an alert on my social.
AnnualCreditReport.com is FALSE, DECEPTIVE, & DISHONEST. TransUnion tries to make you sign up for a monthly service to see your FREE Credit REPORT, then pay $29.95 to get EQUIFAX & EXPERIAN to get a complete picture of you FREE Credit REPORT.
Michael you are full of it! Many people are having problems with this free credit report. I’m not impressed by your beautiful website. The fact still remains that the free credit report is not working many people.
I went to the site to print my Equifax report. I filled out the questionnaire (including my full social!!!!) and answered their DELIBERATELY MISLEADING security questions only to be told that i’m going to have to mail in several HIGHLY SENSITIVE documents in order to get it. Um, no. Everyone needs to watch the expose 60 Minutes did on the credit reporting agencies. . .they are quite literally out of control. . .
I tried getting my credit report and they took me to Experian then was informed that I already got my report… no such thing. I think all these credit places that offer free stuff are just BS. I wont recommend anyone to this nonsense.
Well so much for free… All I wanted was a print out. I hit print, it kicked me out and directed me to the Equifax site. I tried to go back… Woops to late. I’ve already submited my 1 report for the year. But for a small fee I can see it when ever I want…. what a scam… Thanks Congress.
So much for a report. I tried two of them Equifax and Transunion. Both told me I had already had a report in the past year. Not so, this is the first time I have ever tried.
So much for a free service!!!!!
I agree with almost all of the earlier comments about the poor quality and general sleeziness of this site (annualcreditreport.com). In addition, if you look about halfway down the list of FAQs, you will see that you are agreeing to get unsolicited you-are-already-preapproved-for-this-credit-card offers and insurance offers as well. You might be able to opt out, but they don’t give you a phone number for that. They only give you a number for more information. Enough with the junk mail already. Spam in my mailbox.
AnnualCredit Report.com is a farce! I felt they asked too much information, including my SS, which I reluctantly gave. I waded thru all the info required, only to find that this was NOT a FREE site. I did NOt want to join anything, so I tried to backtrack and erase my information. It could not be done! SO, they have all my information, and I don’t want to do business with them! How can I protect myself?
Leave it up to slimy Congress that can’t put their foot down and make it easy fix for these 3 agencies
From Rip off report.com and this is the truth – they ARE a scam and full of SHet.
annualcreditreport.com Experian free credit report scam, unauthorized monthly subscription charges Internet Author: Credit Reporting Agencies: annualcreditreport.com
2
5/28/2011
9:17 AM
freecreditreport.com i was rerouted from annualcreditreport.com which is free to these guys who inadvertinly signed me up for a monthly membership under the guise of a one dollar fee. Internet Author: oceanside California Credit Reporting Agencies: freecreditreport.com
3
12/26/2010
5:56 PM
freecreditreport.com freecreditreport.com is a scam – watch out for unauthorized charges Internet, Nationwide *Consumer Suggestion…Scores are NOT free at annualcreditreport.com Author: Henderson Nevada Credit Reporting Agencies: freecreditreport.com
4
1/8/2011
7:31 PM
annualcreditreport Annual Credit Report Request Service Promise all three reports, give one Atlanta, Georgia *Consumer Comment…Not a rip off Author: Wilmington Delaware Consumer Services: annualcreditreport
5
2/27/2010
8:46 AM
Central Source – annualcreditreport annualcreditreport charged$14.95to my creditcard,ididnotgive thema#orauthorizeit Internet, Florida Author: lakin Kansas Finance: Central Source
Need an 800# to CALL!!!!!
I just got all three reports for my fiance with no issue. Thank the Lord for this site because it really helped.
Seriously, if you can’t get your reports from annualcreditreport.com after reading this site, you should probably go ask someone you trust to help you. Maybe an adult, or someone who graduated highschool, preferably someone who can read and write in english.
Just sayin. . .
I’m no dummy. Two of the three sites I went to vectored me into their pay-for-service subscriptions. From there, click on ‘free report’ and get put back to annualcreditreport.com opening screen.
Happily, I did graduate highschool, and college and university twice. But these sites are much less than they make out to be. …and not what Congress intended.
How long have you been working for freecreditreport.com?????
I used the annualcreditreport.com site. After jumping thru all the hoops I was told I couldn’t get the reports online, instead, I had to call the toll free #. When I called the # given to me by the site, I was told I could not get a report mailed out to me because it had not been a year. Of course it hadn’t been a year – I had been denied credit & should have been able to get my free report from the reporting agency the gave me the negative report.
I just spent a waste of over an hour trying to get my “3″ free reports, believe that that now not the case. I believe that you will get one report, and then for some reason or another you won’t be able to retreive the others so you will have to pay for them by requesting so in the mail!!
Why are we playing by the roles and laws if the government doesn’t
To ensure you don’t get scammed, go to the Federal Trade Commission’s website (Google it), and click on the link for a free credit report directly from there. To save you time, please know that you will have to do each one (Equifax, Experian & Transunion) separately. Don’t check off all three when they ask you which ones you want, because you’ll only get one at a time anyway. When you’re done with the first one, hit the “back” button and go back to the “AnnualCreditReport.com” homepage and re-enter your personal info again to get to the next credit reporting agency.
Thanks for the tip, Catherine. Sounds like solid advice.
The site is not confusing in the slightest, although it is not free. Basically, what you get for free is a analysis of the components that, when summed up, give you your credit score. If you’re good at math, you can easily look at these charts and get an idea of how your credit is: Good, bad or mediocre. BUT, to get a proper credit score, you have to pay an $8 fee. The report they provide for free does not contain your credit score rating, which makes this site a total waste of time.
With me, only Experian did not work, they have three steps, and the third one does not give any option to open your free credit report: SCAM. Equifax and TransUnion went ok. I printed to PDF (I have a Mac) and I got the reports.
I had no problem entering the TransUnion site. However, to obtain info from Equifax or Experion just didn’t work. These two want the individual to mail personal info to them addressed as: Annual Credit Report Request Service. Are they nuts? Someone out there will surely put two and two together and figure out that there is peronal info contained inside the envelope and guess what? the envelope will be lost. Right!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least I was able to print the info I needed from TransUnion.
I used annualcreditreport.com when i went on the site i followed directions and did not have no problem getting my 3credit reports i was fast and i did not have to put no credit card number in like most of the other websites. Finally will be using annualcreditreport.com They didnt ask me for no creditcard information. Queens, NY
The annual credit report website has NEVER EVER worked for me. I am accurately inputting my data as required, yet both Transunion and Experian fail to provide me a report, and tell me to buy one instead or phone in for it to be mailed. So I phone in and they say it cannot be completed and hang up. Equifax link just times out after trying to connect for minutes. THIS HAS GONE ON FOR MONTHS. I’ve tried over a dozen times in 6 months and always the same result. Same for my wife, too. This is a total scam and they need to be brought to justice.
I’m having the same problem with Equifax. My credit report pulled up, then when trying to save as .pdf or print, it times out after several minutes. Server error. Maybe they do server maintenance 23 hours and 45 minutes a day. I’m sure many people get frustrated with the “free” annual report and opt for the paid services that actually work. Quite a business model.
Today I selected all 3 checkboxes for Equifax, TransUnion and Experion at annualcreditreport but was only shown Equifax. After I took screenshots of Equifax pages I clicked the “return to annualcreditreport.com” link at the top of the summary page. Instead, it opened a new window with choices to buy my score or repeat access to Equifax. That new window also had a link to return to acr.com that did take me there, but instead of showing me the remaining reports, I was at the beginning page of acr asking what state I’m in again.
After selecting TN I filled out the same identifier page I had before, but was rejected, being told I was only entitled to one report per year.
THEREFORE, I believe the site has denied me access to 2 of the 3 reports I’m entitled to by law.
I had a similar problem as you!!
You are entitled to ONE of the three per year. Not one of each of the three.
The 6-digit code that they want you to phone in never works. They give you two attempts to enter this code, both of which unsurprisingly fail, and then they hang up.
I used this site and all three credit reports were denied because they couldn’t verify me. So much for free and easy service.
After reading the article and subsequent comments, it seems that a followup article describing how to successfully navigate the seeming complexity of the website — including how to request the scores one at a time (as you suggest) — would be extremely helpful in order to get the most out of the website’s service without accidentally “signing up” for some program!
I have just received in the mail a letter from Experian stating that a request was made to them that my free annual credit report be mailed to me. I did not make that request and they also do not have my full legal name on their “Prepared for ———” Date March 31st 2012. I do not know why I received this. Anyone know anything about this?
The same thing just happened to me. TransUnion said they couldn’t send the report because the address didn’t match the one in my report, and they asked me for evidence of the new address.
So I went to annualcreditreport.com to pull my own reports, and the first credit reporting agency came up (can’t remember which, but not TransUnion) and said I couldn’t get another free credit report because I had received one within the past 30 days… which I hadn’t. So one bureau released all of my information to someone. TransUnion at least didn’t send it out and alerted me.
This just happened this evening, so I haven’t made any calls yet. Did you investigate your situation at all?
I would like to caution your viewers about freecreditreport.com, a company which advertises heavily on television. I agreed to pay a $1.00 fee to view my credit scores, and gave them a credit card number. The next thing I knew I was being charged a $29.99 fee. Their website is deceptive; I was told if I cancelled their service within the first seven days– which I did– there would be no further charges. I am currently disputing their charges with my credit card company.. Consumers Beware!
Very truly yours,
Roy Huberland
I used annualcreditreport.com last year and found the site very confusing to maneuver. Knowing that it was the main site endorsed by the government I wasn’t expecting the focus on being a monthly fee based service. Also, the site should make it clear that the 3 reports can be checked separately at different times of the year. ONE thing, when I hear the word “REPORT” I think my CREDIT SCORE would be included in such a report. Why isn’t it?
As Steve Martin said in “The Jerk”, “Oh, it’s a profid deal!” My guess is that the deal worked with congress provided for the credit reporters to be able to make some money on their “free” service. This free service does actually cost them some money when people discover all the errors in their reports and ask to have them fixed. I’ sure the CR’s would prefer nobody could ever see their credit own report!