Get your free credit report annually at AnnualCreditReport.com. Get one from each bureau every four months. Don't get them all at the same time.
A good book to get is Credit Secrets.
Equifax:
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) promotes the accuracy, fairness, and privacy of information in the files of consumer reporting agencies. There are many types of consumer reporting agencies, including credit bureaus and specialty agencies (such as agencies that sell information about check writing histories, medical records, and rental history records). Here is a summary of your major rights under the FCRA. For more information, including information about additional rights, go to www.consumerfinance.gov/learnmore or write to: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 1700 G Street N.W., Washington, DC 20552.
STATE OF ARIZONA - Revised Statutes
A consumer may provide a statement to the consumer reporting agency and, unless there are reasonable grounds to believe that it is frivolous or irrelevant, the consumer reporting agency shall include the statement in the consumer;s file if either of the following applies:
A consumer reporting agency may limit a consumer?s statement as described above to not more that one hundred words if the consumer reporting agency provides the consumer with assistance in writing the statement.
STATE OF ARIZONA - Notice to Consumers
You may request that a security freeze be placed on your Equifax Information Services LLC (Equifax) credit report by sending a request in writing by mail. The security freeze on your credit report will prohibit Equifax from releasing your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent the release of your credit report without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who is allowed access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, government services or payments, rental housing, employment, investment, license, cellular telephone, utilities, digital signature, Internet credit card transaction or other services, including an extension of credit at point of sale. When you place a security freeze on your credit report, you will be provided a personal identification number or password to use if you choose to remove the security freeze from your credit report or to authorize the temporary release of your credit report for a specific period of time while the security freeze is in place. To provide that authorization, you must contact Equifax and provide all the following:
Equifax will remove the security freeze from your credit file within 3 business days after receiving the above information.
Equifax will authorize the temporary release of your credit report not later than 3 business days after receiving the above information via your written request and within 15 minutes when your request is received via telephone or internet.
A security freeze does not apply to certain persons, including a person, or collection agencies acting on behalf of a person, with whom you have an existing account that requests information in your credit report for the purposes of reviewing or collecting the account. A security freeze does not apply to the use of your credit report for insurance underwriting purposes.
If you are actively seeking a new credit, loan, utility, or telephone account, you should understand that the procedures involved in lifting security freeze may slow your own applications for credit. You should plan ahead and lift a freeze, either completely if you are shopping around or specifically for a certain creditor, with enough advance notice before you apply for new credit to enable the lifting to take effect.
To place a security freeze on your Equifax credit report, send your request via mail to:
Equifax Security Freeze
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, Georgia 30348
Or, you may contact us on the web at equifax.com or call 800-685-1111.
The fee to place a security freeze on your credit report is $5.00. If you are a victim of identity theft and you submit a copy of a valid police report that alleges a violation of Section 13-2008, 13-2009 or 13-2010, no fee will be charged. Include your complete name, complete address, social security number, date of birth and payment, if applicable.
Written confirmation of the security freeze will be sent within 10 business days of receipt of the request via first class mail. It will include your unique personal identification number and instructions for removing the security freeze or authorizing the release of your credit report for a specific period of time.
States may enforce the FCRA, and many states have their own consumer reporting laws. In some cases, you may have more rights under state law. For more information, contact your state or local consumer protection agency or your state Attorney General. Federal enforcers are:
1a. Banks, savings associations, and credit unions with total assets of over $10 billion and their affiliates. Contact
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
1700 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20552
1b. Such affiliates that are not banks, savings associations, or credit unions also should list, in addition to the CFPB Contact
Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Response Center - FCRA
Washington, DC 20580
(877) 382-4357
2a. To the extent not included in item 1 above.
National banks, federal savings associations, and federal branches and federal agencies of foreign bankContact
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Customer Assistance Group
1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3450, Houston, TX 77010-9050
2b. State member banks, branches and agencies of foreign banks (other than federal branches, federal agencies, and insured state branches of foreign banks), commercial lending companies owned or controlled by foreign banks, and organizations operating under section 25 or 25A of the Federal Reserve ActContact
Federal Reserve Consumer Help Center
P.O. Box 1200, Minneapolis, MN 55480
2c. Nonmember Insured Banks, Insured State Branches of Foreign Banks, and insured state savings associationsContact
FDIC Consumer Response Center
1100 Walnut Street, Box #11, Kansas City, MO 64106
2d. Federal Credit UnionsContact
National Credit Union Administration Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) Division of Consumer Compliance and Outreach (DCCO)
1775 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
3. Air carriersContact
Asst. General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement & Proceedings Aviation Consumer Protection Division Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590
4. Creditors Subject to Surface Transportation BoardContact
Office of Proceedings, Surface Transportation Board Department of Transportation
395 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20423
5.Creditors Subject to Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921Contact
Nearest Packers and Stockyards Administration area supervisor
6. Small Business Investment CompaniesContact
Associate Deputy Administrator for Capital Access United States Small Business Administration
409 Third Street, SW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20416
7. Brokers and DealersContact
Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549
8a. Federal Land Banks, Federal Land Bank Associations, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, and Production Credit AssociationsContact
Farm Credit Administration
1501 Farm Credit Drive, McLean, VA 22102-5090
8b. Retailers, Finance Companies, and All Other Creditors Not Listed AboveContact
FTC Regional Office for region in which the creditor operates or Federal Trade Commission:
Consumer Response Center - FCRA, Washington, DC 20580
(877) 382-4357