Freecreditreport.com is a scam - details inside
#1
04-24-2007, 02:31 PM
Freecreditreport.com is a scam - details inside
You may have seen the commercials on TV from "Freecreditreport.com." They have been convicted of fraud by the FTC at least twice now; I would advise you to not do any business with them. What they do is provide you with your "free" credit report but sneakily sign you up for their monthly credit monitoring "service" without notifying you that you have been signed up or that they will be siphoning funds from your bank account. In fact, when you login to your user account on their site there isn't even an option to "cancel" from your user account, and there is no billing info, etc. So, you would never know that they were billing you!
If you have used them at all in the past, I suggest you file a complaint now before the company folds or goes into hiding. I'm posting this info on the forums I visit to save people some legwork. They've already given refunds as a response to ~1,500 of the complaints filed against them through the BBB. As an Irvine, CA based company, the web address for the BBB that they fall under is: BBB Web More information about complaints that the BBB has received about them can be found at: Company Report Details
I'll quote the most relevant court cases:
If you have used them at all in the past, I suggest you file a complaint now before the company folds or goes into hiding. I'm posting this info on the forums I visit to save people some legwork. They've already given refunds as a response to ~1,500 of the complaints filed against them through the BBB. As an Irvine, CA based company, the web address for the BBB that they fall under is: BBB Web More information about complaints that the BBB has received about them can be found at: Company Report Details
I'll quote the most relevant court cases:
Agency: Federal Trade Commission (FTC)Los Angele
Description: On August 15, 2005, the FTC filed suit against the company alleging that the company deceptively marketed "free credit reports" by not adequately disclosing that consumers automatically would be signed up for a credit monitoring service and charged $79.95 if they didn't cancel within 30 days, in violation of federal law. The suit also alleges that the Defendant's practice of causing the annual $79.95 charges to be assessed for payment without the consumers' express, informed consent causes, is likely to cause, or has caused, substantial injury to consumers that is not reasonably avoidable by consumers themselves and is not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or competition. In addition, the suit claims that from December 1, 2004 to at least March of 2005, Defendant failed to disclose or to disclose adequately in their advertisements or on their websites that the "free" credit reports they were offering were not associated with the annual free credit report program pursuant to the FACT Act, but rather a commercial promotion, and that consumers cannot obtain their statutorily-mandated free report through the company's websites.
To settle the suit, the Defendants, without admission as to the allegations in the complaint, agreed in part, to be permanetly enjoined from: misrepresenting expressly or by implication that consumers can obtain a free product, program, or service at no cost or obligation, or misrepresenting the amount of any charge or fee. The Defandants must also disclose in their advertising the fees associated with the service, its terms, and that under federal law you have the right to receive a free credit report available at www.annualcreditreport.com and that they are not affilliated with the annual free credit program. The Defendants were also ordered to provide refunds to any consumers who qualify and enrolled between November 1, 2000 and September 15, 2003. In addition, the Defendants are to pay $950,000 as disgorgement of profits and any refund checks that are not cashed as to the consumers who qualify are also to be remitted to the US Treasury.
Date of Action: 8/15/2005
Agency: Federal Trade Commission (FTC)Washington
Description: On January 8, 2007 Consumerinfo.com entered into a Stipulated Judgment and agreed to an Order for Permanent Injunction to settle charges that the company's "free credit report" offer failed to explicitly disclose that subscribers would be automatically signed up into a paid credit-monitoring program.
The FTC charged that ConsumerInfo.com had engaged in deceptive marketing practices through requiring credit card information for consumers to purchase their "free credit report," then billing them $79.95 annually unless they opted out within 30 days. ConsumerInfo.com was also charged with violating the terms of a previous settlement with the FTC over similar practices in August 2005. The previous settlement required the company to pay $950,000 in penalties, as well as requirements for prohibiting the company from engaging in deceptive business practices.
The 2007 Order requires that the company more clearly disclose the terms and conditions of their services. The company agreed to pay $300,000 in Civil penalties, and is prohibited from advertising any of its services as related to the free annual credit reports consumers can receive each year from the major credit bureaus, under the terms of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The Order was entered without admission of guilt or wrongdoing by the company and was for settlement purposes only. Upon entry the Order was finalized.
Date of Action: 1/8/2007
Description: On August 15, 2005, the FTC filed suit against the company alleging that the company deceptively marketed "free credit reports" by not adequately disclosing that consumers automatically would be signed up for a credit monitoring service and charged $79.95 if they didn't cancel within 30 days, in violation of federal law. The suit also alleges that the Defendant's practice of causing the annual $79.95 charges to be assessed for payment without the consumers' express, informed consent causes, is likely to cause, or has caused, substantial injury to consumers that is not reasonably avoidable by consumers themselves and is not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or competition. In addition, the suit claims that from December 1, 2004 to at least March of 2005, Defendant failed to disclose or to disclose adequately in their advertisements or on their websites that the "free" credit reports they were offering were not associated with the annual free credit report program pursuant to the FACT Act, but rather a commercial promotion, and that consumers cannot obtain their statutorily-mandated free report through the company's websites.
To settle the suit, the Defendants, without admission as to the allegations in the complaint, agreed in part, to be permanetly enjoined from: misrepresenting expressly or by implication that consumers can obtain a free product, program, or service at no cost or obligation, or misrepresenting the amount of any charge or fee. The Defandants must also disclose in their advertising the fees associated with the service, its terms, and that under federal law you have the right to receive a free credit report available at www.annualcreditreport.com and that they are not affilliated with the annual free credit program. The Defendants were also ordered to provide refunds to any consumers who qualify and enrolled between November 1, 2000 and September 15, 2003. In addition, the Defendants are to pay $950,000 as disgorgement of profits and any refund checks that are not cashed as to the consumers who qualify are also to be remitted to the US Treasury.
Date of Action: 8/15/2005
Agency: Federal Trade Commission (FTC)Washington
Description: On January 8, 2007 Consumerinfo.com entered into a Stipulated Judgment and agreed to an Order for Permanent Injunction to settle charges that the company's "free credit report" offer failed to explicitly disclose that subscribers would be automatically signed up into a paid credit-monitoring program.
The FTC charged that ConsumerInfo.com had engaged in deceptive marketing practices through requiring credit card information for consumers to purchase their "free credit report," then billing them $79.95 annually unless they opted out within 30 days. ConsumerInfo.com was also charged with violating the terms of a previous settlement with the FTC over similar practices in August 2005. The previous settlement required the company to pay $950,000 in penalties, as well as requirements for prohibiting the company from engaging in deceptive business practices.
The 2007 Order requires that the company more clearly disclose the terms and conditions of their services. The company agreed to pay $300,000 in Civil penalties, and is prohibited from advertising any of its services as related to the free annual credit reports consumers can receive each year from the major credit bureaus, under the terms of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The Order was entered without admission of guilt or wrongdoing by the company and was for settlement purposes only. Upon entry the Order was finalized.
Date of Action: 1/8/2007
#3
04-24-2007, 04:46 PM
Many moons ago, I went through this. Although they didn't bug me about the charge or anything. They simply refunded it. I had no real issues with it.
I think they are required to disclose the terms better now than they were in the past, but I just figured it was my fault for being lazy and not reading the fine print.
I think they are required to disclose the terms better now than they were in the past, but I just figured it was my fault for being lazy and not reading the fine print.
