Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard

Credit Reporting

Credit bureaus keep and report credit information about consumers. Much of this information concerns whether a consumer's accounts have been paid on time. These files often refer to any public records about the consumer, such as judgments, tax liens, or other credit-related information. These credit reports are often used by businesses, in deciding whether to lend money or to give some other benefit to the consumer, such as employment.

Your Rights

You, the consumer, have the right to be told if information in your credit report is used against you. The person must also give you the name, address, and telephone number of the credit bureau that provided the consumer report.
You have the right to find out what is in your credit report.

Arizona Consumers can now request a free annual credit report from all three credit reporting companies. The Arizona Attorney General's Office recommends that consumers request the three reports throughout the year (every four months).

Consumers can request the credit reports by mail, phone or online at:

Annual Credit Report Request
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
Toll free 1.877.322.8228

To purchase a copy of your credit report:

contact
Equifax 800.997.2493 Equifax Information Service Center P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241	Experian (formerly TRW) 888.397.3742 Experian National Consumer Assistance Center P.O. Box 2104 Allen, TX 75013-2104.
Trans Union 800.888.4213 Trans Union Corp. Consumer Disclosure Center P.O. Box 390 Springfield, PA 19064-0390.

A copy of your credit report will cost approximately $8.00 to $11.00. You can get a free copy of your report if you have been turned down for credit in the last 60 days.

Credit Repair

Some companies offer to help consumers "clean up" their credit reports or their credit history. However, the only time anyone can remove anything from your credit report is when the data is outdated or inaccurate. Accurate negative information may not be legally removed.

You can usually remove inaccurate information from your credit report on your own at low to no cost.
Credit repair scams that involve "file segregation" or hiding unfavorable credit history are often illegal.
Credit repair companies are required to provide consumers with complete information about the services they will provide. They may not charge a fee until after services have been provided.

In addition, federal law also prohibits for-profit credit repair companies from taking any money or other compensation from you before they have completed their services and requires that these companies give you a detailed statement of your rights, and a notice that allows you to cancel your contract within three business days, no questions asked.

Violators of these laws may be subject to federal and state civil and criminal prosecution. You may also have a right to sue them in state or federal court.