Consumer Affairs Office
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Identity Theft | Hitting
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Free Reports
As of June 05, Tennessee residents can access one free credit report each year from each of the three credit bureaus. Get yours now on www.annualcreditreport.com.
A credit file disclosure provides you with all of the information in your credit file maintained by a consumer reporting company that could be provided by the consumer reporting company in a consumer report about you to a third party, such as a lender. A credit file disclosure also includes a record of everyone who has received a consumer report about you from the consumer reporting company within a certain period of time ("inquiries"). The credit file disclosure includes certain information that is not included in a consumer report about you to a third party, such as the inquiries of companies for pre-approved offers of credit or insurance and account reviews, and any medical account information which is suppressed for third party users of consumer reports. You are entitled to receive a disclosure copy of your credit file from a consumer reporting company under Federal law and the laws of various states.
You are entitled to receive one free credit file disclosure every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This free credit file can be requested through this website, by phone or by mail.
If free credit reports are available in your state through the Annual Credit Report Request Service, you can request a free annual credit report by phone or mail and it will be mailed within 15 days. However, you can receive a report immediately by using this secure website. Click on this link to find information on how to request a free annual credit report by phone or mail.
You are entitled to receive one free credit file disclosure every 12 months
from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies through the
Central Source. It is entirely your choice whether you order all three credit
file disclosures at the same time or order one now and others later. The advantage
of ordering all three at the same time is that you can compare them. (However,
you will not be eligible for another free credit file disclosure from the
Central Source for 12 months.) On the other hand, the advantage of ordering
one now and others later (for example, one credit file disclosure every four
months) is that you can keep track of any changes or new information that
may appear on your credit file disclosure. Remember, you are entitled to receive
one free credit file disclosure through the Central Source every 12 months
from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies – Equifax,
Experian and TransUnion – so if you order from only one company today
you can still order from the other two companies at a later date.
Credit Bureaus
The three credit bureaus are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Make sure that you get one free report from each bureau, as some companies do not report to all three. If you need to contact one of the bureaus, their contact information is listed below:
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Equifax: www.equifax.com or (800)685-1111
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Experian: www.experian.com or (866)200-6020
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TransUnion: www.transunion.com or (800)888-4213
Making a Dispute
If information on any of your credit reports is incorrect, you will need to file a dispute in order to correct the problem and repair your credit. When you access your free credit report online, you should be given the option to dispute the information on your report. Consumer Affairs can assist you in filing a dispute as long as you save the confirmation number when you order your reports.
Under the FCRA, both the consumer reporting company and the information provider (the person, company, or organization that provides information about you to a consumer reporting company) are responsible for correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. To take advantage of all your rights under the FCRA, contact the consumer reporting company and the information provider if you see inaccurate or incomplete information.
1. Tell the consumer reporting company, in writing, what information you think is inaccurate. Include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support your position. In addition to providing your complete name and address, your letter should clearly identify each item in your report that you dispute, state the facts and explain why you dispute the information, and request that the information be deleted or corrected. You may want to enclose a copy of your report with the items in question circled. Send your letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the consumer reporting company received. Keep copies of your dispute letter and enclosures.
Consumer reporting companies must investigate the items in question — usually within 30 days — unless
they consider your dispute frivolous. They also must forward all the relevant data you provide about the
inaccuracy to the organization that provided the information. After the information provider receives notice
of a dispute from the consumer reporting company, it must investigate, review the relevant information,
and report the results back to the consumer reporting company. If the information provider finds the
disputed information is inaccurate, it must notify all three nationwide consumer reporting companies so
they can correct the information in your file.When the investigation is complete, the consumer reporting company must give you the written results
and a free copy of your report if the dispute results in a change. (This free report does not count as your
annual free report under the FACT Act.) If an item is changed or deleted, the consumer reporting company
cannot put the disputed information back in your file unless the information provider verifies that the
information is, indeed, accurate and complete. The consumer reporting company also must send you
written notice that includes the name, address, and phone number of the information provider.If you request, the consumer reporting company must send notices of any correction to anyone who
received your report in the past six months. A corrected copy of your report can be sent to anyone who
received a copy during the past two years for employment purposes.If an investigation doesn't resolve your dispute with the consumer reporting company, you can ask that a
statement of the dispute be included in your file and in future reports. You also can ask the consumer r
eporting company to provide your statement to anyone who received a copy of your report in the recent
past. Expect to pay a fee for this service.2. Tell the creditor or other information provider, in writing, that you dispute an item. Be sure to include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support your position. Many providers specify an address for disputes. If the provider reports the item to a consumer reporting company, it must include a notice of your dispute. And if you are correct - that is, if the information is found to be inaccurate - the information provider may not report it again.
Sample Dispute Letter
Accurate Negative Information
When negative information in your report is accurate, only the passage of time can assure its removal. A consumer reporting company can report most accurate negative information for seven years and bankruptcy information for 10 years. Information about an unpaid judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer. There is no time limit on reporting information about criminal convictions; information reported in response to your application for a job that pays more than $75,000 a year; and information reported because you've applied for more than $150,000 worth of credit or life insurance. There is a standard method for calculating the seven-year reporting period. Generally, the period runs from the date that the event took place.
Adding Accounts to Your File
Your credit file may not reflect all your credit accounts. Most national department store and all-purpose bank credit card accounts are included in your file, but not all. Some travel, entertainment, gasoline card companies, local retailers, and credit unions are among those that usually aren't included.
If you've been told that you were denied credit because of an "insufficient
credit file" or "no credit file" and you have accounts with
creditors that don't appear in your credit file, ask the consumer reporting
companies to add this information to future reports. Although they are not
required to do so, many consumer reporting companies will add verifiable accounts
for a fee. However, if these creditors do not generally report to the consumer
reporting company, the added items will not be updated in your file.
Understanding Your Score
When you order a credit report, you will be given the option to purchase your credit score. Your credit score is used by lenders. It gives them a way to evaluate your credit history and calculate what interest rate they will give you on extended credit. There are many things that affect your score, to include payment history, how much you owe, length of credit history, new credit, and other factors. More information on your credit score is available at www.myfico.com.
Your credit score affects more that just your interest rates. For military personnel, your credit score could affect your security clearance. Your credit score could come into play when renting an apartment, applying for a new job, shopping for insurance, and determining the amount of your utility deposits.
A credit score is a complex mathematical model that evaluates many types of information in a credit file. A credit score is used by a lender to help determine whether a person qualifies for a particular credit card, loan, or service. Most credit scores estimate the risk a company incurs by lending a person money or providing them with a service –– specifically, the likelihood that the person will make payments on time in the next two to three years. Generally, the higher the score, the less risk the person represents.
You can purchase a credit score by contacting one of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies.
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Equifax: www.equifax.com or (800)685-1111
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Experian: www.experian.com or (866)200-6020
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TransUnion: www.transunion.com or (800)888-4213
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cautions consumers to be wary of companies that make claims regarding credit repair. These companies, commonly called credit clinics, don't do anything for consumers that consumers cannot do for themselves at little or no cost. Beware of any organization that offers to create a new identity and credit file for you. The FTC and state attorneys general have filed actions against those who pursue these fraudulent practices. Here are some warning signs that the FTC and others say consumers should look out for to determine if they might be dealing with a credit clinic:
• An organization that guarantees to remove late payments, bankruptcies, or similar information from a credit report
• An organization that charges a lot of money to repair credit
• A company that asks the consumer to write to the credit reporting company and repeatedly seek verification of the same credit account information in the file, month after month, even though the information has been determined to be correct
• An organization that is reluctant to give out their address or one that pushes you to make a decision immediately
For a helpful brochure about credit clinics, you can
and request a brochure titled "Credit Repair: Self Help May Be Best.".
Write your request to:
Federal Trade Commission
Sixth and Pennsylvania Avenues N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004
Identity Theft
Identity Theft is the number one crime in the United States. Identity theft occurs when someone acquires key pieces of your identifying information-such as name, address, date of birth, social security number, and mother’s maiden name, in order to impersonate you. This information enables the thief to commit numerous forms of fraud which include taking over a victim’s financial account, applying for loans, credit cards, and social security benefits, using existing credit accounts to run up charges, writing bad checks, renting apartments, buying cars, and establishing services with utility and phone companies. Soldiers can place an Active Duty Fraud Alert with each of the credit bureaus by calling or going to their websites and requesting this alert be placed on your report. This is a preventive step to control fraudulent activity.
Hitting Close to Home
Within the past year, the CAO has helped Soldier, from Fort Campbell, with the following cases:
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A Soldier returned to Iraq to find that $22,000 had been charged on his/her STAR card
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A Soldier was separated from his/her spouse, but the spouse opened up a credit card in only the Soldier’s name and charged $2500. This was not considered identity theft by the credit card company because they were still married
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A Soldier’s spouse wrote bad checks at businesses all over the Clarksville area while the Soldier was deployed
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why do my three different credit reports reflect different information?
A. Depending on which credit bureau your creditor reports to, information will appear differently on your three reports. For example, Ford Motor Credit may report to all three credit bureaus while your credit card company may only report to TransUnion. It is best to get all three free reports to make sure that you see all possible information.
Q. If you co-sign for a loan for someone, will it appear on your
credit report as well?
A. Yes. You will also be held responsible if they default on the
loan, and that will be reflected on your credit report.
