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This company is charging me monthly for credit reports and I can't find them to cancel. I will have to do this through my bank incurring additional charges.
Beware!
I was scammed from MNI Credit report too. I paid to get ONE report and after a couple of months they started charging me 11.95 per month although I never signed for a service.
Just adding another to the list of complains. Got here via google trying to figure out how to cancel this stupid thing...
BBB complaint filed - I suggest you all do the same about these deceptive business practices.
The FTC is really who we may need to all contact!
Internet ScamBusters™
The #1 Publication on Internet Fraud
By Audri and Jim Lanford
Copyright © Audri and Jim Lanford
All rights reserved.
Issue #163
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Hi Everyone,
Today we'll focus on how to get a free credit report without getting scammed (which unfortunately is not as easy as it should be).
First, we wanted to share this week's top articles from our other sites and blogs with you:
The Scary Truth about Brazilian Diet Pills
Yes, You Can Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
Building an Aquarium Can Make the Winter Days Fly By
Three Baby Shower Gifts That Are Sure to Be a Hit
Onto getting your free credit report...
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Can You Really Get a Free Credit Report -- Without Getting Scammed?
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As of September 1, 2005, everyone in the US is now entitled to get a free copy of their credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus each year.
Unfortunately, many people are finding that actually getting their free credit report seems close to impossible.
That's because bogus websites are tricking people into paying -- and even the major credit bureaus make it quite difficult.
In fact, by now you've probably seen the advertisements on the Web and in your inbox. Companies left and right are offering to provide you with your free credit report -- but for a fee.
OK. So how is it a free credit report if you have to pay for it? That's exactly what we were wondering.
Don't Pay For Something You're Entitled To
A bit of background: There are three major companies that track and report your credit history. These three companies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
All US consumers are entitled to one free credit report each year from each of these three credit bureaus.
So while there are hundreds of companies who would like to charge you for receiving your credit report, the truth of the matter is, this is a service you're now entitled to by law each year at no charge.
So how do you muddle through the mass of free credit report offers without getting taken for a ride?
Surfing the Web
Many people simply type in "Free Credit Report" into their favorite search engine hoping to hit gold. Unfortunately, the majority of sites that come up on top are sites that don't really offer free credit reports, but rather are sites that are offering credit monitoring services.
While credit monitoring services definitely have their pluses and can be used to prevent identity theft, we believe they shouldn't be used as a bait and switch tactic for getting a free credit report.
Even worse, some of the bogus websites -- especially those you hear about via spam -- are simply phishing scams.
Action: NEVER respond to a spam offer to get a free credit report.
Another type of problem many people encounter when they try to get a free credit report is that it's almost impossible to find the free offer. Yes, it's there -- but it's so well hidden that many consumers simply give up in complete frustration.
Here's another more subtle problem we found: one free credit report site we visited offered a free credit report. In addition to asking for your personal information, they also asked for your credit card information.
It wasn't until we read the fine print that we realized we would be authorizing them to charge our credit card for their credit monitoring service after 30 days. Not exactly the type of company you want to be doing business with, is it?
Unfortunately, many "free" credit report websites do business like the free credit report sites mentioned above. The trick is finding the right website to use.
Getting It Right
So if there are so many sites out there trying to scam you out of your money for something you're entitled to for free, how do you go about getting a legitimate free credit report?
Knowing where to go for your free credit report is the key.
According to the FTC website, there is only one website that is authorized to give out free credit reports. Here's what the FTC website says:
"Important information from the Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency: annualcreditreport.com is the ONLY authorized online source for you to get a free credit report under federal law. You can get a free report from each of the three national credit reporting companies every 12 months. Some other sites claim to offer 'free' credit reports, but may charge you for another product if you accept a 'free' report."
The AnnualCreditReport.com website was easy to use and we were able to access all three credit reports without paying a penny.
You can also get your free credit report via phone by calling [protected]. Just remember, you can only request one free credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies each year.
Why do you need a copy of your credit report?
You might be wondering why you'd want a copy of your credit report. There are many reasons you should check your credit report, including making sure your information is correct (which is important if you want to apply for a loan or a new credit card). You very likely will find mistakes on your credit report.
Further, getting a copy of your credit report is important to help monitor against identity theft. You can read more about identity theft here.
Here are four tips for getting your free credit report:
Tip 1: Watch your spelling if you type in the web address (rather than click on our link) -- many of the bogus sites are just one letter away from the site you want.
Tip 2: To gain maximum benefit, you may want to space out your free credit reports from each of the 3 credit bureaus over the year. This will allow you to see changes that occur over time.
Tip 3: Print or download your credit report(s) immediately. You may not be able to gain access again for free later.
Tip 4: After you get your free credit report, quit your browser so no one else can access it.
Time to close. Order your free credit report now while you're thinking about it. We'll see you next week.
The Free Credit Report Scam
By Gary Gresham
Article Word Count: 732 [View Summary] Comments (0)
Every consumer in America has the right to a free credit report once every year by law as of September 2005. But since that law has passed there has been nothing but confusion.
The web sites that say they are offering this so called free credit report, are asking us to give them our credit card information. Does that sound like a free credit report to you?
You may have even given your credit card number to these companies to sign up for a thirty day trial for a credit service that has almost nothing to do with getting your free credit report.
In all fairness, you can cancel this service after thirty days. But how many people do you think forget and end up with monthly or even annual credit card charges?
In fact, these companies are counting on you forgetting about the thirty day trial and charging that fee on your credit card. But if the law says you get a free report, what's the deal?
A lot of people are confused about these free credit reports because of how some companies are marketing the free credit report. Hopefully, this information will clear a few things up for you.
For people who just want the bottom line, a free credit report is available at www.AnnualCreditReport.com and this is the only official site that helps consumers to obtain their annual free credit report.
This site's security protocols are excellent with physical and technological security and encryption. That's important for identity theft purposes because the information on your credit report should be seen by your eyes only.
So if this site is readily available and anyone can get a free credit report once a year, what's the catch? Here is the catch: the credit report you get from www.AnnualCreditReport.com does not have any credit scores.
Now you may be asking, "Then what good is getting this free credit report without a credit score?" There are a few good reasons why you may want to look at your credit report even without a credit score.
Did you know that more than forty percent of all credit reports have errors? If you spot these errors, you can get them cleared up before it affects your credit score. If you contact a credit bureau about an error, they have to clear it up or remove it after thirty days by law.
If you monitor and review your credit report, you can check to be sure that you are not a victim of identity theft. If someone takes over your accounts and charges up thousands of dollars in debt, they can destroy your credit score in a matter of hours.
These are just a couple of good reasons why you want to get your free credit report once a year and inspect it just to be sure everything looks like it should. You can get your free credit report online at www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by phone or through the mail.
So where do you get your credit score from? This is where the confusion comes in and here is the answer. The law Congress passed did not say anything about a credit score just one free credit report a year per consumer.
You have to pay a service to get your credit score and some companies are confusing people with the way they are marketing this. They offer you a free credit report and score and many consumers believe it's their annual free credit report.
But if you have to sign up for a credit service they offer for a 30 day trial period, does that sound free? What these companies are counting on is you forgetting about the 30 day trial and charging a fee on your credit card once that trial period is over.
It's in the fine print, but how many people actually read that. So here is a good common sense rule of thumb. Any time you have to give your credit card information, ask yourself, "is this really free?"
Many of you probably know this is happening because you have been trapped with this kind of marketing tactic. But for those of you that just want your annual free credit report, you can at least be aware as to what is really going on and have a no nonsense way to get it.
Copyright © 2006 Credit-Repair-Facts.com All Rights Reserved.
This article is supplied by Credit Repair Facts.com where you will find credit information, debt elimination programs and informative facts that give you the knowledge to correct your own credit and credit report. For more credit related articles like these go to: Credit and Debt Articles
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Gresham
I just found out that MNI obtained my information when I subsribed to a different credit report (Tripe Advantage) and even though I cancelled my membership 2 years ago, they were able to charge my account $9.95 for the past 6 months because of a prepayment. No one was able to be specific in what happened or if it was an error. My bank was also of no help. Please becareful.
I got a free report 6 months ago. I had this happen 2 years ago so I knew to Cancel right away. We looked at the report and then canceled right away and got confirmation #. Well they are still charging the fee of 11.95 all these months later and I just noticed the charge. When I looked at account history they have been charging some months more than one time.
I am filing a report to BBB, and canceling the card now. I hope a law suit gets started soon!
I see that I'm not the only one. Thank you so much for the phone number because I tried once before to contact this place and couldn't find any phone numbers (I decided to Google it today). Monthly fees, for what I ask!?!?!?!?!
They have been charging me $12.95 monthly and i did not ask for this.
Cynthia Porter
I have asked to have my membership cancelled.I did not agree to a monthly charge of $12.95. So please cancel of today and refund me also as of 4/1/2008.
Thankyou
Cynthia.
Here's another number that you can call: [protected]. A real live person will ask for your ss# and your name and your email address. Dont forget to ask for the cancellation # and the name of the person that you spoke to.
It's ironic that you sign up for this service to prevent fraud against you, and they are the ones committing fraud against you! A phone number to call is [protected]. It's very important that you get a confirmation number for your cancellation.
I cannot believe this! This company is ridiculous! What does FREEcreditreport honestly even mean to them? I am seriously so thankful for all of you guys posting these messages, I am a 19 year old working my butt off to get my credit check and all I wanted to do was check it one time to see what my score is and of course something has to go wrong and I'm getting all of these stupid charges! I just looked at my report maybe 2 weeks ago and have already got a $5 charge and a charge for $12.95! I haven't even looked at it since that day because like everyone else said, I NEVER GOT A USER NAME OR LOGIN! All I wanted to do was look at it once and two weeks later i've spent about $20 on it! ITS RIDICULOUS what people go through just to look at something so simple!
OMG they got me too! How in the hell did they get my bank info? I also ordered through Freecreditreport.com and they are both charging me.
I, too. have been charged 11.95 for just "looking at my free credit report". I am at this moment calling the number posted. I have been on hold for 15 minutes, using up my "cell phone time. Ifinally got through. It as cancelled as of today. I did not ask afor a refund either. Whoever gave us the number--Thank you very much! Good luck everyone else. PAS
Thank you for posting the number! I've been finding charges on my bill too, and I have no recollection of ever purchasing a credit report from them. I've never purchased one, so I don't know how they got my credit card info. I called the number you posted, and he said he'd cancel it and take away the charge that popped up today, so hopefully that actually happens. He gave me a confirmation #, so if anything gets charged again I'll at least have some sort of proof that I did cancel the account.
This just happened to us. I checked the bank statement today and 11.95 has been debited to against our account. How can they do this. what do i do to get my money back. Please help.
can u ppl not freak n read, it says it on the site u will be charged, it is not unathurized if u agree to the terms and conditions which means u read the terms, so may b u should just learn now to read, and the money ur being charge is to protect u from id. theft, so y dont yall losers get a freak n life, ur not gonna b able to sue them, u agreed to the charge and u dumb selfs just didnt call to cancel ! idiots
They got me too. I noticed I was being charged monthly and called the number. This lady kept telling me about alerts for when someone uses my name or social. It took 3 minutes of continuous no's in order to get it through her thick skull. The number I found on my bank statement was [protected]. Don't let them continue to get you!
call [protected] to cancel MNI monthly charges!
I got the same problem and i called my credit card company and they called the merchant so called mni credit report and i was able to cancel services.
Thank you for all these posts... I thought I was going nuts. I cancelled twice and today is the third time... I just got an email confirmation that it was cancelled... They told me that they have $25, 000 to$100, 000 cash prizes and I would be missing out on them... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT... I don't want anything from them.
I have been getting charged an $11.95 for the past couple months without my knowing let alone my consent. I need this to stop. I have no clue how this came about but would like to certainly get to the bottom of this. I need these transactions to STOP!
I just noticed the first charge, or so I think on my joint account which I never use. In fact I don't even carry my check card with me! I don't know how they got my bank info unless off of my credit report itself! I never entered a card number to recieve my credit report. I say a lawsuit is a must ! Now every time I check my bank account I worry that there will be another charge! Feel free to e-mail me if we can take this company down. I'm contacting the bbb now!
I just discovered their charge of $9.95 on my credit card - and I don't
recognize the name or the charge. I don't yet know how many months this has been going on, but I will find out. I know I never subscribed .
I used to work at a credit card company, and a good majority of the calls I took throughout the day were about MNI credit report, or credit report services that were charging people's card for months, and the only thing we could do is cancel the card so they wont have the new card number because the credit report services never stopped charging people when they should have. Just be aware that this happens with pretty much everyone. Just don't use your credit cards online, thats the best way to avoid unauthorized charges.
I did not give authorization to invade my private banking with this deduction for a credit report. I have reported them to the Attorney General's Office.
Just found a charge from mni and I had a feeling when I cancelled their service that I would have a problem. The operator seemed sketchy I didn't save my confirmation number but will definitely be calling to yell at them. I called and cancelled within the required time in the free trial and now I'm being charged. No way I'm paying a dime. SCAM! I just hope other areas of my credit aren't being effected. If they can charge me for any reason they just may be opening up credit lines in my name too! very angry
Easily one of the most deceptive practices. The Free credit report Ad on Credit Report.com does not have an asterisk near the "Free" text, which would indicate that there is something to look for. The service is not free if it costs you 12$ a month to get. They need to have the Asterisk there.
The Asterisk implies "IF" I.e. If you cancel the reporting service in the first 30 days, you will not be charged for anything.
It is deceptive at the core. Their call center is pre-equiped with the scripts to tell people why they are a no refund service. This was clearly pre-meditated.
I am appalled at what this company is doing to people. I did the freecreditreport.com thing and this is the same thing that happened to me. When I called freecreditreport.com I told them what the charge was listed as on my statement and the lady said that that was definitely not them and I must have done it with another credit service. I called my bank after that and they were very helpful. They issued me a new card and canceled all the charges from MNI. Something needs to be done about this company!
I just called [protected] and they cancelled my $11.95 charges. (Some guy from India) I thought it was FREE. hmmmmm! NOT! I was given my cancellation number.
Yes. If there is a group lawsuit in motion I'm in. These people NEED to be stopped asap. The government is taking enough of our money(and if Mr. Obama gets in there it'll be even more of our money), we don't need people and services like this one taking even more on top of it. Please let me know. Thanks.
Just adding to the compliant. I had three months of unexpected charges. A smart lawyer has enough information here to earn some money. I am afraid we are all just victims. By the way I canceled my card that included the charges.
I thought this was free! they charged me $24.95 and was telling me i can't cancel til after the trial period i kept calling and finally got a cancellation number i hope they don't keep taking stuff from my account=( you know you can't trust any companies these days it's not fair who are we battling foreign companies or America ? I feel like we battle for our rights and freedom every day -Like no smoking in places? what happen to equal rights>? you know now what about when someone steals from you? WHERE DOES IT END?
I just had this happen to me, the same thing.They charged me for $11.95 when all i wanted was the free credit report and they probably automatically signed me up for the trial monitoring...What a fraud and distrusting company.Why aren't they shut down yet? Free creditreport.com dont trust them
I ordered a one-time $24.95 credit report through creditreport dot com and was charged for that plus a $12 monthly fee. Apparently the "fine print" says you have to call and cancel, otherwise the monthly charges continue. I find this to be bad business practice, however, the telephone operator was reasonably friendly, and the cacellation call was only about 4 minutes long.
I called MNI Credit Report Services and talked with a man named Leo. I asked him to stop billing me and charging me $11.95 on my credit card as it as been canceled. Leo told me that he couldn't and that I would have to go back to the website and cancel from there. I did so and found only this address.
I know that good business practice is to help the customer; not take advantage of them. I want a full refund returned to me.
Virginia Clements
Hi,
My name is Julie Hall, I live in Athens IL. and I don't know if this is the place I need to talk to but, I was looking over my billing statement and I noticed that there is a charge of $12.95 on my account for June 09, 2008 from this company. I really, really, don't remember going on this site at all. I not very good at computers, but if i have done someting and acctivated a fee of any kind, please cancel immeditaly. Could you look and see if there has been an error or if I really did sign up for something. Please e-mail me back at jesusfreak.g12@juno.com. Thank You very much!
For those of you that cant get a hold of MNI their number is [protected]. I went through the same stuff you all went to, it's not rite.
I just got off of the phone with these people. They will not offer any reimbursement for the scam that they are providing.