Rights to Free Credit Reports
Under federal law, youre entitled to a free credit report if a company takes adverse action against you, such as denying your application for credit, insurance or employment, and you request your report within 60 days of receiving notice of the action. The notice will give you the name, address, and phone number of the consumer reporting company that supplied the information about you. Youre also entitled to one free report a year if youre unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days; if youre on welfare; or if your report is inaccurate because of fraud. Otherwise, a consumer reporting company may charge you up to $9.50 for additional copies of your report.
To buy a copy of your report, contact:
Equifax: 1-800-685-1111
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742)
TransUnion: 1-800-916-8800
Under state law, consumers in Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont already have free access to their credit reports.
If you ask, only the last four digits of your Social Security number will appear on your credit reports.
Establishing a Credit History
If...