[IP] Get your "free" credit report, but be wary of scams [econ]
------ Forwarded Message
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 02 Mar 2005 23:11:31 -0500
To: <politech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Politech] Get your "free" credit report, but be wary of scams
[econ]
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: New Credit Report Laws and Scams
Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2005 14:15:02 -0600
From: <roberthelmer@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan@xxxxxxxx>
References: <4223FCFC.6040509@xxxxxxxx>
Declan, your readers might be interested that The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is
reporting
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/5F
1A5BF244C3D9C586256FB7001C1312?OpenDocument&highlight=2%2Ccredit%2C
that "Today is the day consumers in ... 12 Midwestern
states can start getting free copies of their credit reports from each of
the three national credit bureaus. But be wary. Consumers who order their
reports via the Internet could be inundated with sales pitches and become
victims of various scams. The World Privacy Forum, a consumer watchdog
group, tried calling up the official online site to order reports. The group
found so many problems, actual and potential, that it recommends consumers
avoid using the Internet at all to get their credit reports." It looks like
attempting to obtain the free credit reports online can cause you to
experience all sorts of "phishing-type" scams as a result of fake sites
being set up. What's more, even the official sites are misleading, "the
credit bureaus blur the lines between what is free for consumers and what is
available for a fee..." For example, "The TransUnion section of the official
site automatically selects consumers to receive marketing materials and to
have their information shared with affiliate companies and partners."
Bob
Daily Rotation (Headlines from 300+ Tech Sites)
http://www.dailyrotation.com
Shell Extension City (Cutting Edge Software)
http://www.shellcity.net
Project Geek (Web Hosting)
http://www.projectgeek.net
St. Louis, Missouri
_______________________________________________
Politech mailing list
Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
------ End of Forwarded Message
-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as roessler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To manage your subscription, go to
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/