This is well-known as a scam, because asking for the "Free" Report signs you up for a monthly monitoring service at $12.95/month. They make every effort to make it unclear that this is what is happening, and as hard as possible to cancel that subscription when/if you do get signed up for it. This is well documented on the Internet.
I ran into a more insidious variant, though, and I'm not completely sure how it happend. The monthly $12.95 showed up on my credit card bill, and when I noticed and called them to cancel, it turned out that the subscription had been generated on my behalf by a "James Walters, " whom I've never heard of. Upon further investigation, they did not have the right address, phone number, SS #, or mother's maiden name for me — only the credit card information was correct.
So I assume that this "James Walters" somehow got my credit card # and signed me up. Presumably he gets some sort of commission from FreeCreditReport.com, else there would be little reason for him to do it. Could just be mischief-making, perhaps. The other possibility is that FreeCreditReport.com are themselves running this scam, and that James Walters is just a random psuedonym that they enter into the system for whenever the victim calls in.
They claim that they are going to cancel my subscription and refund the existing charges, but I'll believe that when I see it. They also claim to have turned the matter over to their Fraud Investigation Division, which I find laughable. Their whole business model is based on fraud, so it should really be called the "Other People's Fraud Investigation Division."
Fred
Bedrock, California
U.S.A.
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