Much like efforts that encourage people to get a medical check-up or a flu shot, a campaign by University of Wisconsin-Extension educators urges people to check their credit report to improve their financial health.

The “Check Your Free Credit Report: 2/2, 6/6 10/10” campaign can make it easier for people to monitor their financial well being. Shelley Tidemann, Fond du Lac County UW-Extension Family Living Educator along with UW-Extension educators around the state  are reminding people to view their three free reports each year on Feb. 2, June 6 and Oct. 10.

Consumers are responsible for checking the accuracy of credit reports prepared by the private

 firms Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and sold to other businesses.

“2/2, 6/6, 10/10 are three easy days to remember to set aside just five minutes of your time to pull your credit report from one credit bureau,” says J. Michael Collins, UW-Extension family and consumer

economics specialist and director of the UW-Madison Center for Financial Security. “It is a simple way that you can remember to keep tabs on your credit report on a regular basis.”

The campaign’s website at https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/creditreport provides information on the “Check Your Free Credit Report Campaign: 2/2,6/6, 10/10.” The site offers information on why it is important to check your credit report and can walk consumers through the process of pulling and reading the reports.

The information found in your credit report can play a role in whether you’re offered a job or eligible for a loan. But in spite of credit reports’ importance, only about 16 million free reports are ordered each year out of more than 200 million people in the U.S. with credit records. In Wisconsin, only about four out of ten Wisconsin residents check their credit reports on a yearly basis (http://www.usfinancialcapability.org/).

“The credit reporting site offers an under-utilized free service that can save people money, time and financial stress. A lot of mistakes on credit reports can be caught early by checking your credit report every f

our months,” advises Collins.

Credit reports are different from credit scores. Although a credit score is a useful piece of information, it is calculated using the information in your credit report.

Tidemann notes that there is only one legitimate source for a free credit report, and there are many imposters.

“AnnualCreditReport.com (https://www.annualcreditreport.com/) and its mailing address and phone number are the only truly no-cost ways to obtain the free credit reports everybody is entitled to by

law,” says Tidemann

Other websites claim to offer free reports, scores or monitoring, but they often incur significant one-time or ongoing fees. Unsolicited e-mails, pop-ups or phone calls offering free scores or reports are not official.

Checking one free credit report every four months lets people do their own credit monitoring

without having to pay up to $10 or even $20 a month–typical amounts charged for these services.

For more information on Financial Literacy, contact the Fond du Lac County UW-Extension office at 929-3174, website: https://fonddulac.extension.wisc.edu/   or “like” us on Facebook at Fond du Lac County UW-Extension