HARRISBURG, August 31, 2005 - Beginning Thursday, Sept. 1, Pennsylvania residents will have a new weapon in the fight against identity theft: the ability to get a free credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com, according to state Sen. Michael Stack.

“This is a tremendous advantage for consumers,” said Stack (D-Philadelphia). “Until now, most Pennsylvanians have had to pay for a peek at their own credit history.”

In 2003, Stack introduced state legislation (Senate Bill 949) to prohibit the three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) from charging a fee for credit reports, but the bill was never considered in committee. Congress finally acted on the issue in November 2003 with passage of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.

The federal government has been rolling out the service over the past year, beginning with the Western states. Individuals may obtain a credit report from each agency once a year.

“Consumer reporters recommend checking your credit report with a different bureau every three or four months,” said Stack, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance committee. “You may not know you’ve been a victim of identity theft unless you are constantly monitoring your credit history.”

The Federal Trade Commission is reporting that several fraudulent sites have popped up, and their site, www.ftc.gov/freereports, provides a link to the only authorized site, as well as additional consumer information. The FTC is also warning consumers to steer clear of pop-up ads and e-mails promoting free credit reports.

Those wishing to obtain a free credit report may also call 877-322-8228 (toll-free) or mail a form to the following address:

Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

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