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E-Resources > Subject Guides > Credit Reports

Credit Reports

You can never be too careful with your credit history. Identity theft is becoming an increasingly prominent
problem in our society. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.
The websites below will help you monitor your credit history.

Library Materials

The ABC’s of Getting Out of Debt: turn bad debt into good debt and bad credit into good credit
by Garret Sutton
332.024 SUT

50 Ways to Protect Your
Identity and Your Credit
by Steve Weisman
364.163 WEI

Your Credit Score: how to fix,
improve, and protect the
3-diget number that shapes
your financial future
by Liz Pulliam
332.743 WES

American credit repair:
everything you need to
know about raising your
credit score
by Trevor Rhodes & Nadine Smith
332.743 RHO

Websites

Annual Credit Report - https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
This site was set up by the big three credit reporting agencies in the United States, to furnish
free annual credit reports, as required by federal law.

Federal Trade Commission - http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre34.shtm

Equifax - http://www.equifax.com/home/
One of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies 1-800-685-1111

Experian - http://www.experian.com/
One of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion - http://www.transunion.com/
One of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies 1-800-916-8800

The Internet Crime Complaint Center - http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
(IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White
Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

National White Collar Crime Commission (NW3C) - http://www.nw3c.org
The NW3C provides a nationwide support network for enforcement agencies involved in the
prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic and high-tech crime.

National Fraud Information Center - http://www.fraud.org/
The NFIC was originally established in 1992 by the National Consumers League. Their Web site
contains extensive information about Internet fraud for both merchants and consumers.

United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) - http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/
The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service. Postal Inspectors enforce over 200 federal laws in investigations of crimes that may adversely affect or fraudulently use the U.S. Mail, the postal system, or postal employees. Many fraud schemes that originate over the Internet, such as auction fraud or multi-level marketing schemes, involve payment or delivery via the U.S. Mail and are under the jurisdiction of the USPIS.

The Better Business Bureau - http://welcome.bbb.org/

Organizations

MERCHANT RISK COUNCIL (MRC) - https://www.merchantriskcouncil.org/
The Merchant Risk Council (MRC) is a not-for-profit organization founded in September 2000.
It provides education about fraud prevention techniques and encourages businesses selling online
to adopt best practices and anti-fraud technologies. The Network's merchant focus distinguishes
this group from others that are trying to combat this problem.

FAQs

What are the steps I should take if I'm a victim of identity theft?
If you are a victim of identity theft, take the following four steps as soon as possible, and keep a record with the details of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.

1. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports.
2. Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
3. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
4. File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.
These steps are explained in more depth at this link of the Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/defend.html

How do I request a "fraud alert" be placed on my file?
You have the right to ask that nationwide consumer credit reporting companies place "fraud alerts" in your file to let potential creditors and others know that you may be a victim of identity theft. A fraud alert can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you. It also may delay your ability to obtain credit. You may place a fraud alert in your file by calling just one of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies. Equifax: 1-800-685-1111; equifax.com Experian: 1-888-397-3742; experian.com. or TransUnion: 1-800-916-8800; transunion.com As soon as that agency processes your fraud alert, it will notify the other two, which then also must place fraud alerts in your file.

Credit Reports

FAQs

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