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FIB - Scams 101 - Ye Olde Archives

Free credit report scams

Posted By: Bill Cornelius
Wednesday, 9 March 2005, at 2:58 p.m.

I found this information about the availability of free credit reports interesting. It comes from a group known as the World Privacy Forum.

Bill Cornelius

In anticipation of the March 1 rollout of free credit reports to Midwest residents, the World Privacy Forum issued a report with startling recommendations*. Consumers may want to order their free annual credit reports by phone rather than online. If they order it on the Internet, they risk paying for a report they thought was free.

Researchers analyzed the official Web site (www.annualcreditreport.com) and close misspellings to see if any “phishing” or scam sites had been put online. What they found was alarming. Their report documents 96 known “imposter” domains. Of those:

· 28 belong to credit reporting agency Experian.
· 68 belong to or are hosted at “pay per click” companies.
· 50 of the “pay per click” domains are live, and some are luring consumers to inappropriate and risky Web sites. Some of the “pay per click” sites lead consumers to Experian and other credit companies’ commercial sites in order to cash in on the credit bureaus’ affiliate marketing programs.

Additional issues were found at the official Web site. The primary finding: credit bureaus are blurring the lines between what is free and what is available for a cost. For example, the TransUnion section of the official Web site automatically selects consumers to receive marketing information and have their information shared with affiliates and partners. Experian and Equifax have potentially confusing menu navigation bars, which do not clearly distinguish between the free areas of credit report access and the for-pay sections.

Help protect yourself by considering these things:

· When phoning the toll-free number (877-322-8228) for a free credit report, ask that only the last four digits of your SSN are displayed on the reports to be mailed to you.
· Have your credit report mailed to a secure mailbox.
· You are not required to give out your email address in order to obtain a federally mandated free credit report.
· If you go online to access your credit report, be absolutely certain that you have not mistyped the official Web site’s address. If you see pop-up ads or notice that the site is not secure, close your browser and start over—secure sites will have a padlock logo in the corner, and the address will read https:// instead of just http://.
· If you go the official Web site to access your TransUnion credit report, be sure to look for any pre-checked marketing or newsletter offers. If you decide you do not want these offers, uncheck the box.

Remember, a free annual credit report does not eliminate the need to regularly monitor your credit report. Your EverydayWealth subscription still offers the best protection!

*The World Privacy Forum study, “Call Don’t Click: Why It’s Smarter to Order a Federally Mandated Credit Report via Phone Instead of the Internet. For complete findings of the "Call, Don't Click" report and a consumer tip sheet, see: WorldPrivacyForum.org or WorldPrivacyForum.org/calldontclick.

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NOTICE TO SCUMBEEZLES
(you know who you are... you scream "Foul!" when the truth comes out)

        PLEASE READ THIS LEGAL NOTICE CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU FILE A LAWSUIT OR EVEN WASTE TIME THINKING ABOUT IT. It has been done before, but never successfully. In fact, the last dodobird who tried it ended up being ordered to pay more than $77,000 in attorney fees ($65,000+ to my attorneys and $12,000+ to my co-defendant's legal advisor).
        If your attorney is worth his salt, he's going to tell you that the expense of filing a lawsuit you can't win is a whole lot worse than any "damages" resulting from messages posted on this insignificant little chunk of cyberspace.
        NEWS FLASH: I didn't just climb down off that ol' turnip truck yesterday. I'm well aware that expressing a negative opinion, relating one's personal experience, and restating provable facts are all legal in this country and do not constitute libel, slander, or defamation -- so you don't want to play games with me, and you sure don't want to start something you aren't prepared to finish. I don't take threats lightly, and I don't accept bribes (or did you call it a "mutually-beneficial arrangement"?). I'll turn you in faster than you can yell, "ARREST ME, I'M SCUM!!"
        Do yourself a favor and turn your legal team loose in greener pastures.
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        In closing, I would like to remind you once again that it is still legal, in this great country of ours, to express a PERSONAL OPINION, as long as it is presented as opinion and not as fact.
        And finally, all you scammers out there will do well to remember that TRUTH IS AN ABSOLUTE DEFENSE against charges of libel, defamation, and slander... so if you're operating just a hop, skip, and jump ahead of the law, you might want to think twice before doing anything stupid... (AND SHAME ON YOU!!).