Getting credit reports
The three credit reporting agencies are obligated to send one free report to credit consumers each year. Your free report is an informational listing that details amounts, dates, current status, and outstanding balances for your credit card accounts and bank loans. It’s important to understand that your credit report is strictly an informational document. It's different from your numeric (FICO) credit score, which the credit reporting bureaus will sell to you for a few dollars.
Per Federal law, you are entitled to one free credit report each year. To obtain a free annual report, they must be requested through the Annual Credit Report Request Service online at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ or by phone at 877-322-8228.
Staggering your three free reports over the year is a good way of checking for identity theft.