Free Instant Credit Reports Can Hurt Your Credit Score

You see the offers all over your screen when you tryThe worst thing is that they will continue to charge you
to surf the net, the banners advertising free instantthe monthly service fee until you decide to call the
credit reports from some online service or agency.company and cancel the subscription. This is easier
When you click on them and read the small print, itsaid than done. These online companies that offer free
turns out that you need to sign up, create a profile, giveinstant credit reports do not readily give up their phone
a password, and volunteer your credit card informationnumbers and when they do they severely under staff
before they allow you to see your credit report. Thatthem so that the disgruntled caller may have to wait
does not sound like free to me. Free usually connoteshours in order to get a customer service
something that is given in exchange for norepresentative to help them. These customer
consideration, thus the term "free.""disservice" representatives will argue and try and do
On the face of it, free instant credit reports seem likeeverything they can to dissuade you from canceling
a good way to finally see what your credit score isyour account. If you stick to your guns however they
and so many people fall prey to the scam and sign up,must obey and cancel the account. If you catch it early
not knowing that they are signing up for a monthlyenough into the first billing cycle, you may be able to
service that will charge them a hefty fee each month.get a refund, though most companies object to giving
It will come out automatically from their checkingback any of their hard swindled funds.
account if they gave a debit card number or it willThe best way to get free instant credit reports is to
show up as a charge on their credit card statement ifgo to the online sites of the three major credit
they use a charge card. Either way, they will be payingreporting bureaus themselves. Just make sure that you
for something that they thought was going to be trulydon't give up your credit or debit card number and you
free.should be alright.