With the internet at your fingertips and the new law requiring the credit reporting agencies to allow you one free credit report a year, you may be wondering about the best way to check your credit report. Many people, especially in the older population, are still unfamiliar with the security features of the World Wide Web and are hesitant to check their credit report online for fear of identity theft.,

Rest assured that most of the websites on the internet that offer credit monitoring or allow you to check your credit report are protected against hackers or others that may try to steal the information as you put it in. They have hi-tech security measures in place to keep even the best of hackers from stealing your information.

To check your credit report online go to a search engine such as google and enter the keywords “check credit report.” Within seconds you will have thousands of results to look through. Keep in mind that your search will bring up a great deal of credit monitoring sights that will allow you to check your credit report free of charge for a certain amount of time and then charge you a monthly fee to monitor your credit report and report to you when there have been changes.

There is a website that you can to at www.annualcreditreport.com that will allow you to check your credit report once a year free of charge. You will receive your credit report from all three major credit reporting agencies. Make sure when you check your credit report online to print a copy of each one for your records.

If you just simply feel uncomfortable using the computer for such a personal task, you can also check your credit report by sending a written request to each of the major credit reporting agencies; Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. This can be done free of charge once a year. Once you send your request, allow up to six weeks to receive your report in the mail.

It is important to check your credit report at least once a year to make sure that everything in your report is accurate. Once you check your credit report for the first time, make sure you make a note to yourself to check it again at the same time next year.

Categories: Credit Reports 101 , articles