MNI Credit Report Services review: Can't cancel automatic charges 328

I just discovered their charge of $9.95 on my credit card - and I don't
recognize the name or the charge. I don't yet know how many months this has been going on, but I will find out. I know I never subscribed .

I just noticed the first charge, or so I think on my joint account which I never use. In fact I don't even carry my check card with me! I don't know how they got my bank info unless off of my credit report itself! I never entered a card number to recieve my credit report. I say a lawsuit is a must ! Now every time I check my bank account I worry that there will be another charge! Feel free to e-mail me if we can take this company down. I'm contacting the bbb now!

I have been getting charged an $11.95 for the past couple months without my knowing let alone my consent. I need this to stop. I have no clue how this came about but would like to certainly get to the bottom of this. I need these transactions to STOP!

Thank you for all these posts... I thought I was going nuts. I cancelled twice and today is the third time... I just got an email confirmation that it was cancelled... They told me that they have $25, 000 to$100, 000 cash prizes and I would be missing out on them... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT... I don't want anything from them.

I got the same problem and i called my credit card company and they called the merchant so called mni credit report and i was able to cancel services.

call [protected] to cancel MNI monthly charges!

They got me too. I noticed I was being charged monthly and called the number. This lady kept telling me about alerts for when someone uses my name or social. It took 3 minutes of continuous no's in order to get it through her thick skull. The number I found on my bank statement was [protected]. Don't let them continue to get you!

can u ppl not freak n read, it says it on the site u will be charged, it is not unathurized if u agree to the terms and conditions which means u read the terms, so may b u should just learn now to read, and the money ur being charge is to protect u from id. theft, so y dont yall losers get a freak n life, ur not gonna b able to sue them, u agreed to the charge and u dumb selfs just didnt call to cancel ! idiots

This just happened to us. I checked the bank statement today and 11.95 has been debited to against our account. How can they do this. what do i do to get my money back. Please help.

Thank you for posting the number! I've been finding charges on my bill too, and I have no recollection of ever purchasing a credit report from them. I've never purchased one, so I don't know how they got my credit card info. I called the number you posted, and he said he'd cancel it and take away the charge that popped up today, so hopefully that actually happens. He gave me a confirmation #, so if anything gets charged again I'll at least have some sort of proof that I did cancel the account.

I, too. have been charged 11.95 for just "looking at my free credit report". I am at this moment calling the number posted. I have been on hold for 15 minutes, using up my "cell phone time. Ifinally got through. It as cancelled as of today. I did not ask afor a refund either. Whoever gave us the number--Thank you very much! Good luck everyone else. PAS

OMG they got me too! How in the hell did they get my bank info? I also ordered through Freecreditreport.com and they are both charging me.

I cannot believe this! This company is ridiculous! What does FREEcreditreport honestly even mean to them? I am seriously so thankful for all of you guys posting these messages, I am a 19 year old working my butt off to get my credit check and all I wanted to do was check it one time to see what my score is and of course something has to go wrong and I'm getting all of these stupid charges! I just looked at my report maybe 2 weeks ago and have already got a $5 charge and a charge for $12.95! I haven't even looked at it since that day because like everyone else said, I NEVER GOT A USER NAME OR LOGIN! All I wanted to do was look at it once and two weeks later i've spent about $20 on it! ITS RIDICULOUS what people go through just to look at something so simple!

It's ironic that you sign up for this service to prevent fraud against you, and they are the ones committing fraud against you! A phone number to call is [protected]. It's very important that you get a confirmation number for your cancellation.

Here's another number that you can call: [protected]. A real live person will ask for your ss# and your name and your email address. Dont forget to ask for the cancellation # and the name of the person that you spoke to.

I have asked to have my membership cancelled.I did not agree to a monthly charge of $12.95. So please cancel of today and refund me also as of 4/1/2008.

Thankyou
Cynthia.

They have been charging me $12.95 monthly and i did not ask for this.

Cynthia Porter

I see that I'm not the only one. Thank you so much for the phone number because I tried once before to contact this place and couldn't find any phone numbers (I decided to Google it today). Monthly fees, for what I ask!?!?!?!?!

I got a free report 6 months ago. I had this happen 2 years ago so I knew to Cancel right away. We looked at the report and then canceled right away and got confirmation #. Well they are still charging the fee of 11.95 all these months later and I just noticed the charge. When I looked at account history they have been charging some months more than one time.

I am filing a report to BBB, and canceling the card now. I hope a law suit gets started soon!

I just found out that MNI obtained my information when I subsribed to a different credit report (Tripe Advantage) and even though I cancelled my membership 2 years ago, they were able to charge my account $9.95 for the past 6 months because of a prepayment. No one was able to be specific in what happened or if it was an error. My bank was also of no help. Please becareful.

The Free Credit Report Scam
By Gary Gresham

Article Word Count: 732 [View Summary] Comments (0)

Every consumer in America has the right to a free credit report once every year by law as of September 2005. But since that law has passed there has been nothing but confusion.

The web sites that say they are offering this so called free credit report, are asking us to give them our credit card information. Does that sound like a free credit report to you?

You may have even given your credit card number to these companies to sign up for a thirty day trial for a credit service that has almost nothing to do with getting your free credit report.

In all fairness, you can cancel this service after thirty days. But how many people do you think forget and end up with monthly or even annual credit card charges?

In fact, these companies are counting on you forgetting about the thirty day trial and charging that fee on your credit card. But if the law says you get a free report, what's the deal?

A lot of people are confused about these free credit reports because of how some companies are marketing the free credit report. Hopefully, this information will clear a few things up for you.

For people who just want the bottom line, a free credit report is available at www.AnnualCreditReport.com and this is the only official site that helps consumers to obtain their annual free credit report.

This site's security protocols are excellent with physical and technological security and encryption. That's important for identity theft purposes because the information on your credit report should be seen by your eyes only.

So if this site is readily available and anyone can get a free credit report once a year, what's the catch? Here is the catch: the credit report you get from www.AnnualCreditReport.com does not have any credit scores.

Now you may be asking, "Then what good is getting this free credit report without a credit score?" There are a few good reasons why you may want to look at your credit report even without a credit score.

Did you know that more than forty percent of all credit reports have errors? If you spot these errors, you can get them cleared up before it affects your credit score. If you contact a credit bureau about an error, they have to clear it up or remove it after thirty days by law.

If you monitor and review your credit report, you can check to be sure that you are not a victim of identity theft. If someone takes over your accounts and charges up thousands of dollars in debt, they can destroy your credit score in a matter of hours.

These are just a couple of good reasons why you want to get your free credit report once a year and inspect it just to be sure everything looks like it should. You can get your free credit report online at www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by phone or through the mail.

So where do you get your credit score from? This is where the confusion comes in and here is the answer. The law Congress passed did not say anything about a credit score just one free credit report a year per consumer.

You have to pay a service to get your credit score and some companies are confusing people with the way they are marketing this. They offer you a free credit report and score and many consumers believe it's their annual free credit report.

But if you have to sign up for a credit service they offer for a 30 day trial period, does that sound free? What these companies are counting on is you forgetting about the 30 day trial and charging a fee on your credit card once that trial period is over.

It's in the fine print, but how many people actually read that. So here is a good common sense rule of thumb. Any time you have to give your credit card information, ask yourself, "is this really free?"

Many of you probably know this is happening because you have been trapped with this kind of marketing tactic. But for those of you that just want your annual free credit report, you can at least be aware as to what is really going on and have a no nonsense way to get it.

Copyright © 2006 Credit-Repair-Facts.com All Rights Reserved.

This article is supplied by Credit Repair Facts.com where you will find credit information, debt elimination programs and informative facts that give you the knowledge to correct your own credit and credit report. For more credit related articles like these go to: Credit and Debt Articles

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Gresham

The FTC is really who we may need to all contact!

Internet ScamBusters™
The #1 Publication on Internet Fraud

By Audri and Jim Lanford
Copyright © Audri and Jim Lanford
All rights reserved.
Issue #163

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Everyone,

Today we'll focus on how to get a free credit report without getting scammed (which unfortunately is not as easy as it should be).

First, we wanted to share this week's top articles from our other sites and blogs with you:

The Scary Truth about Brazilian Diet Pills

Yes, You Can Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

Building an Aquarium Can Make the Winter Days Fly By

Three Baby Shower Gifts That Are Sure to Be a Hit

Onto getting your free credit report...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can You Really Get a Free Credit Report -- Without Getting Scammed?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As of September 1, 2005, everyone in the US is now entitled to get a free copy of their credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus each year.

Unfortunately, many people are finding that actually getting their free credit report seems close to impossible.

That's because bogus websites are tricking people into paying -- and even the major credit bureaus make it quite difficult.

In fact, by now you've probably seen the advertisements on the Web and in your inbox. Companies left and right are offering to provide you with your free credit report -- but for a fee.

OK. So how is it a free credit report if you have to pay for it? That's exactly what we were wondering.

Don't Pay For Something You're Entitled To

A bit of background: There are three major companies that track and report your credit history. These three companies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

All US consumers are entitled to one free credit report each year from each of these three credit bureaus.

So while there are hundreds of companies who would like to charge you for receiving your credit report, the truth of the matter is, this is a service you're now entitled to by law each year at no charge.

So how do you muddle through the mass of free credit report offers without getting taken for a ride?

Surfing the Web

Many people simply type in "Free Credit Report" into their favorite search engine hoping to hit gold. Unfortunately, the majority of sites that come up on top are sites that don't really offer free credit reports, but rather are sites that are offering credit monitoring services.

While credit monitoring services definitely have their pluses and can be used to prevent identity theft, we believe they shouldn't be used as a bait and switch tactic for getting a free credit report.

Even worse, some of the bogus websites -- especially those you hear about via spam -- are simply phishing scams.

Action: NEVER respond to a spam offer to get a free credit report.

Another type of problem many people encounter when they try to get a free credit report is that it's almost impossible to find the free offer. Yes, it's there -- but it's so well hidden that many consumers simply give up in complete frustration.

Here's another more subtle problem we found: one free credit report site we visited offered a free credit report. In addition to asking for your personal information, they also asked for your credit card information.

It wasn't until we read the fine print that we realized we would be authorizing them to charge our credit card for their credit monitoring service after 30 days. Not exactly the type of company you want to be doing business with, is it?

Unfortunately, many "free" credit report websites do business like the free credit report sites mentioned above. The trick is finding the right website to use.

Getting It Right

So if there are so many sites out there trying to scam you out of your money for something you're entitled to for free, how do you go about getting a legitimate free credit report?

Knowing where to go for your free credit report is the key.

According to the FTC website, there is only one website that is authorized to give out free credit reports. Here's what the FTC website says:

"Important information from the Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency: annualcreditreport.com is the ONLY authorized online source for you to get a free credit report under federal law. You can get a free report from each of the three national credit reporting companies every 12 months. Some other sites claim to offer 'free' credit reports, but may charge you for another product if you accept a 'free' report."

The AnnualCreditReport.com website was easy to use and we were able to access all three credit reports without paying a penny.

You can also get your free credit report via phone by calling [protected]. Just remember, you can only request one free credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies each year.

Why do you need a copy of your credit report?

You might be wondering why you'd want a copy of your credit report. There are many reasons you should check your credit report, including making sure your information is correct (which is important if you want to apply for a loan or a new credit card). You very likely will find mistakes on your credit report.

Further, getting a copy of your credit report is important to help monitor against identity theft. You can read more about identity theft here.

Here are four tips for getting your free credit report:

Tip 1: Watch your spelling if you type in the web address (rather than click on our link) -- many of the bogus sites are just one letter away from the site you want.

Tip 2: To gain maximum benefit, you may want to space out your free credit reports from each of the 3 credit bureaus over the year. This will allow you to see changes that occur over time.

Tip 3: Print or download your credit report(s) immediately. You may not be able to gain access again for free later.

Tip 4: After you get your free credit report, quit your browser so no one else can access it.

Time to close. Order your free credit report now while you're thinking about it. We'll see you next week.

BBB complaint filed - I suggest you all do the same about these deceptive business practices.

Just adding another to the list of complains. Got here via google trying to figure out how to cancel this stupid thing...

I was scammed from MNI Credit report too. I paid to get ONE report and after a couple of months they started charging me 11.95 per month although I never signed for a service.

I was charged $11.95 to my bank account without my authorization. I am a college student who can't afford this. I don't know who is doing this, but it has to stop. Hopefully my bank will stop these charges.

I ordered what I thought was a "free credit report" from these people in March, 2007. It is now January, 2008 and they are still charging my credit card for $9.95 per month. I didn't even realize it was happening, as my husband pays the bill, and assumed it was a legitimate transaction. I have tried to call them, but they continue to charge me.

This is total B.S my husband got the credit report service more than 6 months ago and they have been charging me 11.95 every few weeks, and we havent been recieving anything from them nor did we authorize this! On my bank it shows up as $11.95 CARD TRANSACTION : MNI*CREDITRPT SERVICES, [protected], CA Im calling the number that was on the first page of complaints. Hopefully this will be stopped for good!

I am being charged my minicredit $12.95 to my bank acct. I did not authorize this and cannot find where to cancel. Please advise. Thank you, Susan.

FreeCreditReport.com is a bunch of crooks! I got my "Free" credit report a year ago, and now they decide to charge my card?! I saw the transaction post and tried to get it removed but my financial institution wouldn't approve it! I've canceled the both of them!

What's worst is freecreditreport.com is going on an all-out Advertising Blitz, and they will likely draw in MANY more unsuspecting victims! Be fore-warned people!

I want you to stop billing me 9.95 now. I did not sign up for your service and do not want it

Write a letter to your state attorney general, the attorney general where MNI has its business address, and detail the specifics of your dealings with them. Date, times if you can, and the details from your credit card. Ask your credit card for documentation of the automatic charges, including the so-called "authorization"... how it was obtained, what kind of charge validation was done.

CC the letter you've sent to your state AG and their state AG to your credit card, and notify them to refuse all additional charges by this company. You can't request reimbursement or reversal of the money already paid out, but you can definitely refuse all future charges.

If there's any means of unsubscribing to the "free credit report" service, do so. Immediately. If there is not, then this too needs to go into the letter to the state AGs.

They may not be able to take any action directly on your case, but they will, if they receive enough documented complaints, see there is a need to crack down on this fraud.

i dont know what everyone is talking about i just called there and the represenative was very nice and told me exactly how this happened. i got a refund that day. sucks for yall

Had the same problem. Order my yearly credit check a month ago. One month later recieved a $11.95 Charge from MNI. Followed this advice and called the (866) number to cancel. Make sure to get a confirmation number for your records. B.S. Some one should sue them.

Yes they are a total fraud. I just check my credit card statement and i got charged like $12.00 dollar from a company that i didn't even know. when i do research it's MNI credit report and i decided to do research about it and found you guys. They were a total fraud because it was a one time free credit report that i signed up for, and it's simply because i was curious what's my credit score. Now they are charging me for something i didn't even ask for, a membership. Ofcourse i called my credit card company to notify an unidentify credit charge and i was transfer to the MNI customer service or whatever it is. The associate was giving me major attitude saying "you dont' want to protect your identity and credit.. blah blah blah". i was totally pissed at that point, and a lecture from someone i don't know doesn't help. So people be carefule where you get your "FREE" credit report. Also, the reason why they charge you every month because they are supposedly "monitoring your credit" and "protect your identity" for you. So who's going to protect my credit charges from them? anyway. i'm still on hold now for more than 30 minute to dispute this charge. Unfortunately i cannot get a refund the because i've been unsuspectedly charged for more than 30 days already, but fortunately, i will never be charge by them again. i've stopped the vicious cycle of scamming. hahaha j/k
anyway i think the website was "creditreport.com" don't have it mistaken for "freecreditreport.com" which i will be using from now on.

You charged my credit card 11.95. I want it taken off because i did not order a report. Also cancel account.

I also had the same problem,I was charged twice before i notice anything please keep me posted about the legal action that you are taken so i can figure out what to do next.

i just read all the complaints, how much money
are they stealing on a monthly basis.? why isnt
something being done,. and yes i want to be apart
of any class action suit.

02/25/08 Called again today thyey gave me the run around and refused to quit billing. I have protested the charge for 6 straight months, this is definetly a con ---spread the word.

I, too, have been getting charged for 2 months before it registered that i never signed up for this service. I called the number on my credit card bill [protected]) and spoke to a customer service rep immediately. I canceled the subscription today. She tried to talk me in to staying in the credit monitoring service and every time i declined, she kept pressuring me "about the great service and a new contest where i could win $25K if i stayed on". NO THANK YOU! I took the cancellation number down as well as her name. I will be monitoring my credit card statement after this to see if they actually cancel me out.