FTC Warning for Free Credit Report Affiliates

[Linda Buquet]

After checking OfferVault to see how prevalent <strong>Free Credit Report</strong> offers are in the CPA affiliate world, I decided I should post this warning about a very blatant new FTC disclosure that will soon be required. How many CPA offers are listed on OfferVault? 76... and that does not include all the CPA networks, so I assume quite a few affiliates could be affected by this.

The FTC is not fooling around on this disclosure and gives specific wording that MUST be placed at the <strong>TOP</strong> of the page. Full transparency is required to inform consumers that there is a truly free credit report option with no-strings-attached.

I'm guessing this disclosure, which is required starting April 1st, will pretty much kill free credit report conversions. Which is OK in my book because these free credit report rebills do rip-off consumers who don't realize there is a free option available and who don't read the fine print to see that they will be getting hit with hidden charges.

<center><table bgcolor="yellow" border="1"><tr>
<td><center>THIS NOTICE IS REQUIRED BY LAW. Read more at <strong><a href="http://ftc.gov/">FTC.GOV</a></strong>.
You have the right to a free credit report from
<strong><a href="http://www.annualcreditreport.com/">AnnualCreditReport.com</a></strong> or 877-322-8228,
the ONLY authorized source under federal law.

<a href="http://www.annualcreditreport.com/"><strong>Take me to the authorized source</strong></a></center></td>
</tr></table></center>

<strong><a href="http://ftc.gov/opa/2010/02/facta.shtm">FTC Amends Free Credit Reports Rule To Help Consumers Steer Clear of ?Free? Offers that Cost Money</a></strong>

Starting April 1, advertising for ?free credit reports? will require new disclosures to help consumers avoid confusing ?free? offers ? which often require consumers to spend money on credit monitoring or other products or services ? with the no-strings-attached credit reports available at AnnualCreditReport.com, or 877-322-8228.

The Federal Trade Commission?s Free Credit Reports Rule will require new prominent disclosures in advertisements for ?free credit reports.? For example, any Web site offering free credit reports must include a disclosure, across the top of each page that mentions free credit reports, which states:

THIS NOTICE IS REQUIRED BY LAW. Read more at FTC.GOV.
You have the right to a free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com
or 877-322-8228, the ONLY authorized source under federal law.

The Web site disclosure must include a clickable button to ?Take me to the authorized source? and clickable links to AnnualCreditReport.com and FTC.GOV.