What is the Safest Way to Check Your Credit Rating?

Your credit report contains sensitive information, including your Social Security number and your date of birth. If your report were to get into the wrong hands, it could be a disaster; you could end up a victim of identity theft. With so much misinformation on the web, it's difficult for consumers to determine the proper way to check their credit rating. Multiple ordering options, including online, mail and telephone can confuse one further. The safest way to check your credit rating is by using trusted sources to obtain your report.

Where to Order Report

Catchy advertisements promising "free" credit reports frequently appear on television, but these promotions often come with a catch, warns the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The companies promoting the material are service providers, or middlemen. This doesn't guarantee you'll be ripped off, but using a middleman increases your chances.

Rather than deal with a middleman, order your credit report and score directly from the source--one of the three major credit agencies: Equifax, Experian or Transunion. Each agency provides reports directly to consumers; if you're ordering from a middleman, the report ultimately comes from one of the agencies anyway.

As far as free reports go, you are entitled to one every 12 months by federal law; you are also entitled to a free report if you've been denied credit within the past 30 days. The credit agencies established an organization specifically for this; it's called Annual Credit Report. You can access your free annual report from all three agencies directly.

Delivery Options

Order your credit report by phone, not online, recommends Bankrate.com. Ordering online opens the door for security breaches. From 2006 to 2008, a massive online credit card theft scheme left approximately 130 million credit card owners victims of identity theft, according to The New York Times.

Each credit agency has a telephone ordering system; this is also true of the joint-service Annual Credit Report. Your report will be delivered by mail, if you choose to order by telephone.

Nevertheless, many believe online transactions are relatively safe. If you choose to check your credit rating online, do so using the website of one of the major credit agencies. Double-check check the URL spelling; a small typo in the web address could lead you to a phishing site. Some are set up to replicate trusted websites.