Thursday, October 15, 2009

Seniors: Beware of FreeCreditReport.com

We are all being reminded daily how important our credit scores can be when we go out to buy something requiring credit. Be very wary of the so-called "free" credit monitoring services -- they ARE NOT FREE!

Case in point: FreeCreditReport.com advertises on TV and all over the internet, convincing you that you can pull your credit report and credit score at will. Hidden in the print too small for most seniors to see without high magnification is the fact that by pulling the "free" credit report you are signing up for a monthly credit monitoring service. If you are dilligent about checking your credit card statements (and you must be!) you will suddenly notice a charge of $14.95 or something similar. This website, owned and operated by the credit bureau Experian, counts on the likelihood that you will either not notice the charge at all, or simply tell yourself when you first see it that you probably did order it and just forgot about it.

If you think you need a credit monitoring service, make sure you are getting one you actually want -- not one you have been duped into buying.

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