Credit reporting

Consumer Issues

Free credit reports

Track your credit history conveniently and without charge. Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act, you can order a free copy of your annual credit report from any of the three major credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax. You can request your report from these three companies at the same time, or from any or all of them at any time throughout the year.

We at the Office of the New York State Attorney General encourage you to take advantage of this valuable resource. By regularly checking your credit report, you can protect yourself from identity theft and ensure that your financial information is accurate and up to date.

Checklist

When you receive your credit report, review it carefully for common errors, including:

  • Inaccurate personal information, such as name, middle initial, suffix (like Jr., Sr., or III), Social Security number, and address
  • Accounts listed incorrectly as open, delinquent, or in collections
  • Credit accounts, bankruptcies, tax liens, or other judgments that do not belong to you

Order your report today

The three credit bureaus have created a single website, toll-free number, and address where you can order your report. You can do any of the following to receive your report: 

Be smart when ordering

  • When ordering your report, request that it display only the last four digits of your Social Security number. 
  • Have your report mailed to you at a secure mailbox so that an identity thief cannot gain easy access to your information.
  • If you order your report online, be careful to access the official website – even small mistakes in the web address can be dangerous. According to the World Privacy Forum, hundreds of websites have registered misleading domain names to take advantage of consumers who misspell the address. In search-engine results, some of these sites even appeared above the official site.
  • Do not order your report from a public or work-related computer.
  • If you see pop-up advertisements or notice that the website is not secure, close your browser and start again. 
  • Remember: You should not have to provide your email address to obtain your free credit report.

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