We provide this free financial resource to visitors of the Community Room of SeniorSSuperStoreS in an effort to keep baby boomers, seniors and the elderly informed of matters that can affect their lifestyle.

The best way to determine whether your credit record is in good order - and that you're not the victim of identity fraud or some error - is to get a copy of your credit report.

While identity fraud gets a lot of publicity lately, it is not the only concern here. It seems that businesses that use the various credit bureaus to report their customers are not always diligent in reporting totally accurate information. And, the credit bureaus are under no obligation to confirm the accuracy of information reported to them. It is not at all uncommon for people who have quite common names to be confused with other folks who have the same (or similar) names and get inaccurately reported to credit bureaus.

Since the tasks of proving your innocence falls on you and often can take even months to resolve, it is in your best interest to regularly check your records for accuracies.

Order your credit report once a year from each of these three credit bureaus to check for inaccuracies and fraudulent use of your accounts. Monitoring your credit card statements and other records of credit use with your credit reports are the most important steps you can take to safeguard your credit integrity.

Equifax - http://www.equifax.com/
To order your report, call: 800-685-1111 or write
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
To report fraud, call: 800-525-6285 and write:
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian -- http://www.experian.com/
To order your report, call: 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) or
Write: P.O. Box 949, Allen, TX 75013-0949
To report fraud, call: 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) and write:
P.O. Box 949, Allen, TX 75013-0949

Trans Union - http://www.transunion.com
To order your report, call: 800-916-8800 or write:
760 Sproul Road, P.O. Box 390, Springfield, PA 19064-0390
To report fraud, call: 800-680-7289 and write:
Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634