Did you miss the original band of friendly, slackerish white dudes who pretended to play ditties about the dangers of poor credit FreeCreditReport.com ads? Yeah, neither did anyone else. But even though they held a nationwide contest to find their current house band two years ago, the magic just wasn’t there. Maybe the new guys weren’t irritating enough. So the old crew is back together to annoy us. [More]
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Are Credit Monitoring Sites Really Worth The Money?
By 4.12.10
Now that everyone is so obsessed with their credit reports and FICO scores, credit monitoring services have popped up everywhere. For a modest recurring fee–one that easily adds up to over $100 a year–you can have a company constantly watch your credit report and alert you of any changes in it, so you can always be on top of your creditworthiness. But should you bother? The consumer director of the U.S. Public Interest Research Groups federation (U.S. PIRG) tells BusinessWeek that credit monitoring is a “protection racket” that turns people into “financial hypochondriacs… who are scared of their own financial shadows.” [More]
TransUnion "Zendough" Service Will Not Let You Cancel
By 1.15.10
Reader Nathan’s wife unfortunately fell for a “Free Credit Report” offer from a TransUnion service called “Zendough.” They say they are being repeatedly billed even after they cancel, and the only customer service contact number they have is staffed by people who can’t help. [More]
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Fixing Credit Report Errors
By 6.8.09
A great way to improve your credit score is to get rid of errors on your credit report that are dragging you down, but how do you start?
"Help, I Fell For The Apartment Rental Credit Check Scam!"
By 6.3.09
Since posting an article about Craiglist apartment listing scams a month ago, we’ve heard from lots of people who fell for the scam. If you’re one of them, here’s what you need to know.
Easy Weight Loss And Free Cash: A Dubious Product Online Marketing Empire Revealed
By 5.13.09
I started out looking at the advertising and affiliate practices of one company, CreditReport America, and learned that the company that owns this site apparently produces a solid majority of the ads on the Web that annoy me.
Yet Another Reader Scammed By FreeCreditReport.com
By 10.16.08
Here it is folks, your semi-annual reminder that FreeCreditReport is not free. Free credit reports can be found at AnnualCreditReport.com. FreeCreditReport.com is a pay site. As in you will be billed. As in not free.
Consumer 101: Get Your Free Credit Report From "Annual Credit Report.com"
By 9.25.08
You’ve probably seen those commercials featuring a friendly looking jackass and his factually inaccurate songs about what can happen to you if you don’t check your credit report. It’s true, checking your credit report is a good idea, but you can avoid subscription-hawking pay sites and, instead, go to AnnualCreditReport.com.
With Vigorous Cane Shaking, America Responds To 20/20 Story
By 10.16.06
Of all the complaints that flooded our inbox following our 20/20 appearance, this is our favorite.
