Dear Liz: I saved your column about getting free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com. Today I e-mailed my request but the site said I had to send $1 via a credit card. Does this sound right, and is it a safe website and the correct place to request the credit report?
Answer: If you were asked for any money, even if it was framed as a “donation,” you weren’t at the right site. Neither were you at the correct site if you were told you could get access to your credit report in a couple of days, rather than instantly. These lookalike sites are geared to sign you up for expensive and usually unnecessary credit monitoring. They’re supposed to have a banner explaining they’re not the site that offers federally mandated free credit reports, but some are ignoring the rules.
The one and only site to get your free credit reports is http://www.annualcreditreport.com. If you were misled or deceived by any other site, please make a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
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