yes there is... companies just charge to do it for you, instead of you doing it yourself, thats all.
by law, you are entitled to one free report, per agency, per year. i listed them below.
also check it to make sure you dont have activity or accounts on it that you didnt open (ID THEFT). 10 million people per year are victims of ID THEFT, so you should monitor your reports.
1) run a free credit report from each agency (your allowed one free one per year, per agency). you need to know, so you need to get them.
2) if ID Theft has occured, you need to make a police report first. the rest of what you need to do, is listed in the links below (with GREAT info too).
3) some states allow you to 'lock' or 'freeze' credit reports; to protect against theft. if your state allows it, lock 'em down. that way, no one can open an account on them.
4) once you discover their credit reports have activity on them, then contact each credit reporting agency (the 3 major ones) and report the ID Theft... and request they lock the reports (usually they automatically do it, but ask for it anyway).
ID THEFT HELP/ INFO
http://www.idtheftcenter.org/index.shtml
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/credit/index.html
http://www.fraudguides.com/consumer-identity-theft-children.asp
http://www.ripoffreport.com/
http://www.fightidentitytheft.com/
http://www.ncpc.org/media/current.php
https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/widtpubl$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU03
http://www.myidfix.com/
FAIR DEBT COLLECTION
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fdc.htm
CAPITAL ONE
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/YourCreditRating/WeirdStuffThatHurtsYourCredit.aspx?GT1=8885
Capital One refuses to report its customers' credit limits to the three major credit bureaus. Instead, the bureaus use the highest balance a customer has charged as a proxy for the limit.
As a result, the customers' all-important "debt utilization ratios" -- the portion of their available credit these borrowers are actually using -- can appear artificially high. That can depress borrowers' credit scores, the three-digit numbers lenders use to help determine creditworthiness.
Lower credit scores can mean higher interest rates on mortgages, car loans and other borrowing, as well as potentially higher insurance premiums, since many insurers also use credit-scoring systems to help gauge risk.
CREDIT REPORT INFO / REPAIRS / DISPUTES
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre21.htm
http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/starting/archive/2007/st0221.htm
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cc/20040116b1.asp
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/helpfaq
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/forms/credit-report-error-fix.asp
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/bankruptcy/20070313_credit_report_stains_a1.asp
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/forms/credit-report-error-fix.txt
http://bankrate.com/
http://www.occ.treas.gov/customer.htm
TO ORDER A FREE CREDIT REPORT
(all three are free once a year)
Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
www.equifax.com
1-800-685-1111
_______________
Experian
P.O. Box 19719
Irvine, CA 92623
www.experian.com
1-888-397-3742
_______________
TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022
www.transunion.com
1-800-916-8800
2007-03-20 04:44:15
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answer #1
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answered by Yvette B yvetteb 6
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Do NOT ask for a credit report from anyone other than the bureaus themselves. You get one free copy of your report a year from each without divulging one fact about yourself to a stranger with much-less-than-honourable intentions. DO NOT get your taxes done on an unfamiliar website. (Don't you wonder why these people from these sites are being so nice to you? Read their terms and conditions. You give both permission to tell anyone anything they choose to tell about you or your personal life, and you give them permission to actively investigate your life by talking to people, and tracking YOUR web moves (what do they install while you're visiting?), if they choose, and sharing that information. It gets worse when you start talking about id theft.)
PS The most quoted website here is NOT a government site. Once again, it's a question of interpreting what these sites say. If you go to Experian, you will get a notice saying the government ordered a central place to be available to get your credit records. The next sentence, they give out that website's address, along with a "Credit Protection Plan" trial offer. Yes, they will give you a "free" report at that site, but, you must divulge information to them that they have no business having. At Experian's site, (www.experian.com/report access) OR phone number, or any of the others, you can get your report free, if you have been negatively affected by your credit rating (i. e., your insurance premium is higher than other people's because your credit isn't as good). You are also entitled to one free report a year from each of them. Other than those reports, the charge is usually around $10.00.
2007-03-19 13:38:58
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answer #2
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answered by ciamalo 3
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www.annualcreditreport.com. You can access your credit report once a year for free from each of the 3 credit bureaus.
Some credit card companies offer your credit score. www.wamu.com
2007-03-19 13:34:58
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answer #3
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answered by crazydave 7
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yes all 3 credit reporting bureau's offer 1 free credit report. I think experian is the biggest one
2007-03-19 13:30:14
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answer #4
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answered by Shelly t 6
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the absolute best way to receive a true free credit report is by writing a letter to each bureau.
the credit bureaus are only in business to make money, NOT to have to waste money evey year by giving you a "free" credit report.
when you goto annualcreditreport.com and you request a free credit report the bureau makes its money back by selling your information to lenders that will try and contact you to see if you will get their credit cards, mortgages, etc.
try searching for "trigger response"
the only way to get a credit report and not have your information sold is by writing a letter to the bureaus and most likely you will have to pay between $4-$10 for each. it is worth it to me to pay instead of have more of my information out with different lenders that i havn't decided to even deal with yet!!!!
2007-03-19 13:57:18
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answer #5
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answered by aemerson82 1
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go to annualcreditreport.com - from there, you can get one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. You can spread them out over the year, you don't have to get all of them at the same time.
This will give you your credit report, but not your credit score from them.
2007-03-19 13:32:15
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answer #6
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answered by Judy 7
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This is the one that doesn't ask you to sign up for a trial period. It's free, once a year, all three CRAs.
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
2007-03-19 13:31:32
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answer #7
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answered by VT 5
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http://www.annualcreditreport.com is the free one that doesn't ask for a credit card and is offered by the gov't.
2007-03-19 13:39:52
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answer #8
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answered by Mariposa 7
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www.annualcreditreport.com
2007-03-19 13:29:46
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answer #9
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answered by Who 2
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