The federal government requires that each of the three national credit-reporting agencies—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—gives you a free credit report every year. You can request a free copy of your credit report by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, the only authorized online source is at annualcreditreport.com. Consumers should be aware that there are many sites out there that claim to offer “free” credit reports but often charge you for another product if you accept the report.

To request your credit report by phone, call (877) 322–8228. To request your credit report by mail, write to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Do not contact the individual credit-reporting agencies.