Some free credit reports not free

Unscrupulous companies advertise “free credit reports” these days that aren’t really free.
Sometimes these firms require that you must purchase credit monitoring or other services they offer in order to obtain your free report. Or you are given a free 30-day trial of such-and-such credit monitoring service, then you get charged for it every month thereafter, unless you call to cancel the service.
In our opinion, that's just not fair. Consumers are entitled under federal laws to one free credit report per year from each of the three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Most importantly to keep in mind, there is only ONE official web site to access these free reports: www.annualcreditreport.com .
Or, you still have the option to call the central request phone number: toll free 877-322-8228.
Consumers are cautioned that a simple misspelling of the web site address or conducting an Internet search for phrases such as “free credit report”, “free credit history” or “free credit rating” could take them to a different web site that charges for credit services available to them for free (like the free information you'll find on this site, or on our sister site, http://www.FindHow2.com) .

Following is the current contact information of the three major credit bureaus:

Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, Georgia 30374
Toll Free: 800-685-1111

Experian National Consumer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, Texas 75013
General inquiries: 888-397-3742
Additional free credit report: 866-200-6020www.experian.com/freestate www.experian.com/reportaccess (if you have been denied credit within the past 60 days)

TransUnion Consumer Relations
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, Pennsylvania 19022
General inquiries: 800-916-8800
Remember, when you are requesting your credit report, you will be asked to provide your full name, current address, your Social Security number, your date of birth, as well as your most recent address.
When requesting your credit report online, you may need to answer some specific questions that only you know, such as a previous mortgage amount.