Contact 6: Where to find a truly free credit report?

MILWAUKEE -- Do you know your credit score? That number determines whether you can buy a house or get a good car! Your credit report can also show if someone else has hijacked your credit. FOX6's Contact 6 says there's one place where you can grab a copy of your credit report -- for free!

Doing a simple web search for "free credit report" will have you navigating between the waves of websites wanting your money, and also pirates - companies trying to catch you.

Both companies want to get new customers. They realize if you don't check your credit report, someone could have taken out a loan in your name.

Last year alone, the Federal Trade Commission said there were around 280,000 stolen identity cases reported nationwide. Therefore, it's clear that checking your credit report is a good idea, but are AnnualCreditReport.com and FreeCreditReport.com really free, like they say?

AnnualCreditReport.com links up to three credit bureaus -- TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. Different creditors report to different credit bureaus, so it's a good idea to see all three credit scores.

By law, you get three reports, but you don't get your three possibly different credit scores because that's considered proprietary information - special for each company, and each company charges an additional price.

To just look at a credit report, AnnualCreditReport.com does not charge.

FreeCreditReport.com is owned by Experian. Equifax and TransUnion have credit monitoring divisions too, they just don't advertise as much. At FreeCreditReport.com, you get to pick from "Get my two-day free credit report" (meaning the report may come in two days, and you don't get to see your credit score), or the "Instant $1 credit report and score," which also signs you up for a seven-day trial membership to monitor your credit.

It will let you know if any new accounts are opening in your name, or if you have late/missing payments. If you don't cancel by the end of the seven days, you'll have a monthly charge of $19.95.

AnnualCreditReport.com is sponsored by all three credit bureaus to fulfill the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Contact 6 says AnnualCreditReport.com is the best source for a truly "free" credit report.

CLICK HERE to file a complaint with FOX6's Contact 6.