When you are on the Internet or watching television, you have probably seen advertisements for websites that will run a credit check for you for free. People like to keep an eye on their credit scores and other credit information to ensure that no strange activity is happening on their account, and to see how their data is being used. People often like to keep track of their credit because they are worried about identity theft. This worry is not uncommon, as the number of people who have had their identity stolen over the past five years has skyrocketed. As of 2012, 16.6 million people had their identity stolen, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. People are hacking into company’s credit systems, and have easy access to all of a person’s funds, which is why people are worried about identity theft. People also like to keep track of their scores if they are taking steps to improve their credit score. They like to watch and see if their efforts are actually working or not. People have many options when it comes to picking a free website to get their credit check, and these are just some of them that can be chosen from.
1.) CreditKarma.com
This website is one that you have probably heard of the most. This site offers many services, like: a credit report card, credit score simulator, advice columns, calculators and other credit tools. It is also very easy to navigate. You will not get a full credit report from this site, but you will get a partial one-bureau credit report. You can also get analysis of credit and loans. Credit Karma will also e-mail you if you have not been on the site for a long period of time to ensure that you are up-to-date on your credit information.
This is the only website that is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report that is provided by The Fair Credit Reporting Act. Once a year, consumers are given one free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting companies, which are Experian, Equinox and TransUnion. When you go through this site, you can get your reports instantly online, or you can get them shipped to you within 15 days. This site is a good one because it is the only authorized site to fill orders to get a free credit report.
3.) CreditSesame.com
This site is unique in its own ways. They are exclusively partnered with Experian, which is one of the three credit reporting companies. Instead of giving just advice on your credit check, Credit Sesame has their credit tools push products more along with advice, so you can manage your credit better. On this site, you can also get $50,000 identity-theft insurance, which is a huge bonus. You will also get reports and alerts from Experian, which is more legitimate than other sites can be. You can also manage all credit and debt in one location, and there is a mobile app, making it very convenient.
These are just three of the many websites that are out there for people to check their credit for free whenever they want. When you are looking at these different sites, make sure that they are legitimate and real, and do not answer any personal questions that come to you through e-mail or over the phone. You can monitor your credit, and never have to feel stressed about being in the dark about your credit.
