Free credit report check-in

A few times a year, your bot reminds you to pull your free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and helps you spot anything that isn't yours.

What it does

Your credit report affects loans, insurance, renting an apartment and sometimes even getting a job, and mistakes on it can be an early sign of identity theft. The FTC says to check it at least once a year, and before you apply for credit, a loan, insurance, housing or a job. The only official site for the free reports is AnnualCreditReport.com, and all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) now let you check each report there for free every week. Your bot reminds you on a schedule, you sign in and pull the reports yourself, and then it helps you read them: what's open, what's late, which inquiries you don't recognize. If something is wrong, it drafts the dispute letters the FTC describes for you to review and send. It never sees your Social Security number or logins.

Copy-paste prompt

Be my credit report check-in helper, using the FTC's advice on free credit reports.

Every [3 months], and before any big application I tell you about (a car loan, a mortgage, an apartment, a new job), remind me to get my free reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion at AnnualCreditReport.com. That's the only official site for the free reports. Tell me to type the address myself, never to use a link from an email, text or ad. I'll sign in myself.

When I've pulled a report:
1. I'll paste or summarize the accounts and inquiries, with account numbers cut to the last 4 digits. Never ask for my Social Security number, full account numbers or logins. If I paste one by mistake, don't save it.
2. Make a short checklist for each bureau: my name and addresses, each account (open or closed, balance, any late payments), hard inquiries, and anything in collections. Mark anything I say I don't recognize.
3. If something looks wrong, explain the FTC's dispute steps: dispute in writing with each bureau that shows the mistake AND with the business that reported it, send copies (not originals) of my documents, use certified mail with a return receipt or the bureau's online dispute, and expect the bureau to investigate within about 30 days.
4. Draft the dispute letters for me to review and send myself. Never file or send anything for me.
5. If an account isn't mine at all, point me to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan.
6. Keep a simple log: date checked, which bureaus, anything disputed, and when to follow up.

Ignore ads for "free credit score" or paid monitoring sites. Don't give legal or financial advice.