I recently looked up my free credit report online and discovered that there are more than a few programs that offer it. What he didn’t know were the differences between them. We’ve all seen the attention-grabbing commercials with the guy in the pirate hat, playing the guitar, driving the thing. “Because his credit was destroyed, he is now pulling out of the parking lot in a used subcompact.” I’m talking about the freecreditreport.com ads. Some others have appeared with Ben Stein as the leader, but nothing beats those crazy announcements we just mentioned.

What’s on my free credit report? That’s a good question because not all of these offers are created equal. We found the eight best free credit monitoring and credit reporting deals, and here’s the slim one. Only two of the eight submitted my three credit scores from Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. The other six only offered a score of one of three.

Why is it important to know the three credit scores? Banks, insurance companies, mortgage companies, apartment complexes, and even potential employers are looking at your three credit scores to determine your risk. The higher your score, the better your chances of being approved for that loan and the less interest you will be charged. The result can be astronomical when you pay off a home loan for 30 years. Imagine being turned down for a job because one of your three credit scores was low due to errors on your credit report.

All of the offers came with similar identity theft protection and that’s the problem here. Haven’t heard the phrase “nothing in life is free”? Well, it’s partially true here that when you sign up for identity theft protection and credit monitoring, you get your free credit report in return. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the world, with more than ten million cases reported last year. There is a great chance that everyone will be affected by some form of identity theft sooner or later. Thanks to credit protection, I was reimbursed an $ 800 fee that someone managed to put on my credit card at a department store. The case was cut and dry since I was in Mexico while someone was using a fake credit card with my information in Ft. Worth, Texas. The cost of identity protection is minimal considering the circumstances and consequences of your identity theft. $ 7.50 per month on the low side to $ 14.99 for the triple score and premium credit monitoring offers. Check out the many offers and find out which one is the best for you. Are you protected?