Free Credit Report review: Unauthorized billing! 60

Adam,
Why do you defend this deception?

I signed up (oops) and got my "Free Report"... Yah... free as in lunch. Then, after a while, the Billing for $12.95 shows up on my CC, small enough to be off the radar... and it says CIC Triple Advantage... How does this lead back to Freecreditreport.com? Is this anything but deceptive?

Its not like FCR or Experian are giving me any service... even when I just tried to access something, I have to pay again?

Adam, I cant see anyone defending these slippery tactics, unless you are getting your wheel greased, or you work for FreeCreditreport.com.

This is a subversive and disappointing service. I feel duped.

BTW - you can't cancel on line. You have to call during Their Office Hours. Am sure they put their speediest typists on that line too!

There ought to be a law against this.

I hate rewarding assh*les, like ones that siphon my bank account, and jerks that merge onto exit ramps at the last second.

John Westerdale

## Highly irritated ##

What happens when someone orders a free credit report for themselves using you debit card without your knowledge?

I called CIC and they said that they could not cancel the service unless the person that ordered the report called and canceled the membership. I calmly explained that whomever had ordered the report (they would not give me a name) did not have permission to use my card. They simply directed me to my bank to have the bank put a stop payment on the account.

After I explained that I worked for a major law firm and would not hesitate to file suit against them if they did not cancel the service, they agreed.

Low and behold, the next month on my bank statement, there it appeared, a charge for $12.95 deducted by CIC CE Credit Report. The charge the month before was listed as CIC Triple Adv.

Adam, do you still think that are on the up and up?

If you want a free credit report, the best thing to do is write the credit reporting agency (Experian Transunion or whomever) and request one by mail. It takes a little longer, but the hassle of not having to deal with these people is worth the wait.

By the way, when I called CIC back, they had no record of my call the previous month. Luckily, I had also send a letter certified mail and had the receipt for it.

THIS IS A SCAM!

Like most of you who have already posted, I was charged fees under the name Triple Advantage without any intention on my part to sign up for the service. This subscription and purported service resulted from my efforts to obtain a free credit report from freecreditreport.com. When I tried to cancel, the operator tried to cross-sell me on other products. I was informed that they could not refund me any of the fees because they were "valid."

Freecreditreport.com is owned by ConsumerInfo.com, which in turn is now owned by Experian. There are thousands of reports to the Better Business Bureau regarding this same problem. A class action lawsuit occurred in 2003 and resulted in a nearly 1 billion dollar judgment. This obviously did not encourage the company to refrain from this deceitful behavior. Perhaps a more direct appeal to the source of the problem is appropriate.

The founder of ConsumerInfo.com and CEO of the Experian Interactive Division of Experian is Ed Ojdana. I recommend that each and every one of you who reads this message, and is dissatisfied with the way they have been treated, email Mr. Ojdana at ed.ojdana@consumerinfo.com or ed.ojdana@experian.com. Let him know that consumers do not appreciate his condonation of such practices and demand a refund. Continue emailing him until you receive a satisfactory response. Do not let him hide behind the corporate structure that is designed to steal your money. If you find his phone number, I would love to know it. I have been unable to find it to this point.

There were 3 charges on my credit card of $12.00, $12.00, and $9.00 that I do not know what they are for and I did not charge anything from this company to this credit card.

Thanks for the info, it took me 30 min just figure out who CIC triple advantage was. Freecreditreport.com makes it seem like you are entering your card info for the purpose of checking your credit and that their service is free.

I have a credit card that keeps getting billed by this company. I do not even know who they are. I have never used any service that they might provide. I do not appreciate charges on my account that I was not aware of. How can they get away with this? Can't something be done legally?

Plz advise smb!

CIC is billing me monthly for a service I do not use, do not need and I never wanted. I have called them, now I am writing to them to tell them this is identity theft, because; I never approved CIC Triple Advantage to use my credit card, CIC never made it clear to me their intention to withdrawal money from my personal debit money account without my permission. I want to report CIC to the attorney general and any other government agency that is applicable, including the BBB. CIC has obviously defrauded me out of twelve dollars each month starting April 16, 2007 until July 16th; that is four months of theft of money from my debit /checking account!

Just for further information - I called the number that is listed on the website and the one you listed in your comment [protected] and it rang and rang w/ no answer. Then a voice came on and said "system on" - over and over again. So this is a bogus number. I finally reached the company at [protected] - the number that appeared on my credit card bill. The agent said he would credit my account and I would receive a confirmation cancellation email w/in 2 hours.

You might try calling them. If you did not sign up then someone using your card.

So am when I call and cancel, will both the charges come off? I am being billed for CIC and a minicredit report that I have no idea what it is.

I don't know how you got an agent to credit your account at the [protected] number. The person who answered said it was a private line (and answered the phone that way). It's too late in the evening now to try the other number, but I will try both online and the [protected] number. I usually read all the fine print, but don't recall the statements Adam mentions as being that easy to find and read. Hmmm...

One question for Adam: You said, "Now if you want to cancel... it's quite a simple process. You go to FreeCreditReport.com and click on the button that says "CONTACT US." And when you click there, lo and behold it says : "CANCEL MEMBERSHIP." However, there is no such button under "Contact us." Nor is there anything under "FAQ" or "About us." In fact, they include lots of information about how to dispute bills, but nothing on how to cancel membership online.

For everyone who missed the really find print, I now have an address and will use that to cancel my membership in writing. That address is: ConsumerInfo.com
Attn: Customer Care
P.O Box 19729
Irvine, CA [protected]

The telephone number listed on the site gives: [protected] which I intend to call tomorrow morning. Good luck all!

I received the same deception. I used the service through a banking service, which is an assumption. I believe there is some type of "misconduct" here. The reason I say is because I would have never used my checking account for a rolling payment, so I am not sure what to say, but I will say this. I called the number mentioned by the individual above and they easy and quick canceled my account and credited me partially back what they charge. I was charged three time and got back two, wo I am happy. I can't honestly remember doing such a thing, but hey my bad and their bad.

Like the rest of you, I have been struggling to get my membership canceled (I didn't request one in the first place), and the charges refunded. Today, I finally found a phone number that was answered quickly. The person initially refused to refund the charges, and when I asked to speak with a supervisor, she put me on hold briefly. When she came back, she told me her supervisor had authorized the refund I was requesting, and gave me her name and a confirmation number. Lorey was her name.

I went over to Google and typed in "Triple Advantage", and it took me to Experian. I sent them an email about it, and I saw the money deposited back into my account within 3-4 days.

I am being charged for months now. This fee of 12.95 and totally was unable to figure out when, where and how this fee comes from. This is absolutely crazy. I finally after months found this site. Thanks you guys for the phone number calling them today... Something has to be done... these son of bit**es can't keep doing this... not even my bank had information on them. I haven't even ever received any kind of notification from that at all. Not even a happy birthday greeting. So what the hell are they charging for...

I received a 12.95 charge on my checking account from CIC Triple Advantage. I had never heard of the company and knew I had not made the charge. I went online and found out that this is a credit "protection" plan and it was automatically deducted from my account after visiting "freecreditreport.com" I called the company at [protected] and in four minutes had my account canceled. The representative tried to say it was in my wife's name but after I "insisted" he cancel he did.

I agree wholeheartedly Adam. I'm sorry, but if you had to give your cc info did you really think it would be free? I signed up to get the report, saw the "fine print" which is the same size font as the other print on the page, got my free report, called the number provided when I clicked on "contact us" to cancel the membership two days later. The person I spoke with tried to talk me into keeping it, which was expected, but I got it cancelled and was never billed a dime. So I guess Adam and I are supergenuises for being able to figure this out.

I was charged for 4 month's membership fee and didn't find out until today! I called CIC customer to cancel my account, they did but refused to refund the money to me. I then called my credit card company to dispute the charges, but the credit card rep put me on the phone with another rep from the CIC and let me deal with them directly. Again, CIC refused to refund the money, and asked me to send a letter to one of their departments to request a refund. I faxed my letter to them but God knows what's gonna happen next. I am sure they'll try everything to keep my money. This is such a fraud! I hate their way of stealing consumer's money. I can't imagine how many victims are out there. Luckily I checked my credit card statement today, otherwise I would lose more money.

They sold me a service and there is no service there unless I buy more and more services from them. This is scam and cheating! Beware!

VERY MAD MARK!

I was able to get out using the number someone else gave in a previous comment... [protected]. Turns out I agreed to this when I requested a free credit report through Experian's website - freecreditreport.com.

I cannot stand this type of aggressive marketing and it borderlines unethical. Experian now has, what I believe to be a purposely difficult website to maneuver with freecreditreprot.com. Each page takes me to another link or website with marketing scams trying to sell me more services.

To J0hn Westerdale --
It's not deception. All of the information is on the website, it's plain to see.

CIC*Triple Advantage is FreeCreditReport.com, Triple Advantage is the membership you're enrolling in, and CIC stands for ConsumerInfo.com, the company that provides the monitoring

To Laura:
MiniCreditReport isn't from the same company as Triple Advantage. I believe from what I've read that's through Equifax. If you call the number on the "CANCEL MEMBERSHIP" line they may give you a refund, though in the terms and conditions on the website it says the monthly membership fees aren't refundable, but i'm sure there are exceptions.

To Meli-
Obviously this is your problem: You didn't read what I said. This is probably the same reason you had the charge on your card, because you didn't read the part that says "IMPORTANT INFORMATION" in all caps on the website. You click on the button that says "How Do I Cancel My Membership?" and lo and behold there lists the number to call!

So basically everyone who is complaining about how they "didn't authorize the charges" you're just playing the victim card when in fact, you just didn't pay attention. And considering you'll put your credit card number into anywhere it asks you to, you might want to sign up for credit monitoring. I'm sure sometime in the near future Amazon.com is going to be taking unauthorized funds out of your account too, right after you click on "Submit Order"

I never gave my credit card number or bank account number to this company, and yet for the last four months I have been charged 12.95. Not only that but I have been charged overdraft charges for these withdrawals. I have had enough and have contacted my bank to start an investigation on this matter. For anyone else that has been charged wrongfully, contact your bank and inform them of this problem, there are things they can do to help.

Have no idea what the $12 charge to my credit card is for. We have not authorized such and never heard of CIC Triple Advantage. Beware people!

I am a fine print reader, and I think I know where the problem arises, because I had the same one as everyone who has complained about the procedure. I didn't go to "freecreditreport.com" by typing it into my browser--I clicked on a link from a real estate agency while shopping for a home. The link didn't bring me to the home page, where the information is displayed rather blatantly. Through the site I was directed to, after reading all fine print, the company actually said I would not be charged a thing, but my credit card was required to get my report. Which isn't unheard of, as any time you apply for a store card, as in a Best Buy account, they have to swipe your card to make sure your information is correct. It was only after getting my report that I received the email with my "terms of service." As I had already used freecreditreport.com several years ago and had NO problem being signed up for something not advertised on the site that signed me up for the credit report.

If you use the web site directly, you know they're enrolling you in something. If you're directed from any outward site, though, you go straight into the sign up, and NONE of the fine print says anything about your automatic enrollment in Triple Advantage.

I'm canceling my membership as we speak. Let's hope that goes well.

I want this account closed, but cannot find a way to do it.

Please cancel my membership. I feel that I do not need this service. Thank you anyway.

Frankly, I did read everything and then canceled my membership well within the 30 days and yet STILL got charged - so that is what upset me and becomes a scam. Don't assume people haven't followed the rules and yet still are being falsely charged.

Unauthorized to charge my PayPal account $14.95 on Dec. 30 & $14.95 on Dec. 31st. Never heard of this company. People beware of this scam!

On the tv commercials,it states that you must join Triple Advantage for a monthly fee.

My account was being charged $14.95 ...i did not even check my free credit report for the first time hen i registered as i did not have an access code after i registered as i did change my address...but i went to my old address and found the mail with the access code...but by the time i came back to register with the code my free credit report time was already over so i could not even view my free credit report...and now another crap saying my account has been charged $14.95 towards CIC triple advantage...wht the hell! i was not even given a notice...

this is the worst website i have seen !

I have not received information from this (whatever you call them) company. I get charged $12.95 on my debit card and im wondering if i just close my account if then they can no longer charge me for something?

I have been going back and forth since APRIL of 2007 to have these idiots remove charges and refund my CC for over 100.00 for charges I DID not authorize. They keep sending me emails telling me these charges were refunded at cancellation, these charges aren't ours, our records indicate your account has been refunded in full"... I can BULL****! I never authorized ANY money to be debited my CC and every month I get a new charge, and every month I send them a letter, and I get a different response.

From the looks of this complaint site... they seriously could care less and who ever owns this company is turning into another ENRON!

These people are ###!

I have been dealing with this idiots since April 2007. I NEVER agreed to having my credit monitored and each month there is a NEW charge..sometimes its 12.00, sometimes its 24.95, sometimes its 20.00. They have told me:

"Your account was refunded in full at cancellation"
WTF? I NEVER agreed to a service!

"your account has been refunded in full and you should see a reflection of such on your next statement"
Uhm...no, I havent

"these charges are not ours"
BULLS**t!

Why is it I get a different freakin answer with EACH email I send?

I am no up to over $100 in fradulant charges and I want MY money back!

Has anyone else noticed that there is an AD with GOOGLE for these idiots ON THIS PAGE?

Some things never cease to amaze me!

I called the toll free number on that appeared on my credit card statement to find out what this charge was. I was told it was some type of insurance. I told them that i had insurance and requested cancellation immediately and to credit my account. 4 months later, i get my card statement and there are 2 charges from cic for 12.95! I called them again, was put on hold for what seemed like forever. Finally i talked to a jason who told me i had an "open" account with them. I explained that i had called 4 months ago to cancel and he told me he had no record of my call. Not surprising! I told him to cancel me pronto and that i was filing a complaint. How can a free credit report cost you 12.95 a month? I am verrry angry.

I was able to revue my credit report on line. Now I am being charged a monthly fee for what? It was a one time credit report, I do not need the credit report or protection every month. Now I know I am being scammed but cannot get them top stop billing me.

Free Credit .Com is NOT Free... You realize that you're most likely going to have to pay something for the initial checking of your credit report, but at no time does this rip off company let you know that you will be charged for 12.95 each month. And not only did they charge me 12.95 a month, they also doubled the bill, so I've been getting the shaft for 25.90 each month since July of 2007... I've been charged 154.95 for a FREE credit report.

I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ANGRY!

I was just scammed too. Unfortunately, my credit card company has not been much help. I had hoped they would remove the fraudulent charges and contact the thieves, but they just told me to call the company that scammed me in the first place (CIC - SUPPOSEDLY FREE credit report) to cancel something I never ordered. Why don’t they prosecute these companies who routinely scam people?
I found the website when I searched for "Experian free yearly credit report". It appeared to be Experian's website and stated "your credit card WILL NOT be charged. The information is only for verification purposes only."
They did send me a cancellation notice, but refused to refund my money and when I asked for a supervisor, I was hung up on. I will be filing a complaint with the credit card company, as well as the Attorney General's Office.
Like it or not Adam, this company's practices are OUTRIGHT DECEPTIVE, and there will be hell to pay if they charge me again after I received the email message from them stating they did cancel the account I never ordered in the first place. From what I've read in these posts, I will be cancelling that particular credit card just in case they decided to try and rip me off again.

Very upset that people like me that struggle to live are getting rip off from fraud companies like CIC TRIPLE ADVANTAGE ALSO FREE CREDIT REPORT OT THE OTHER NAME CREDIT REPORT.COM. JUST LIKE OTHERS they have you sign up for a free report then charge your card from your bank account after the free trail. When you go to cancel they really don't and the following month they charge your account again... i have canceled 6 times and they yet to cancel my membership... is there any one out there that can stop these type of fraud companies... maybe dateline could do a story on these companies?