Upgrade to system

On Wednesday, March 25, from 8 - 8:30 am, LOUIS in Baton Rouge will upgrade our system for off campus access to ULM Library Journals.

Federal Trade Commission and "Free" Credit Reports

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The FCRA promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in the files of the nation’s consumer reporting companies. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces the FCRA with respect to consumer reporting companies.

The three nationwide consumer reporting companies have set up a central website, a toll-free telephone number, and a mailing address through which you can order your free annual report: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.

Warning: Only one website is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to under law — annualcreditreport.com. Other websites that claim to offer “free credit reports,” “free credit scores,” or “free credit monitoring” are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report program. In some cases, the “free” product comes with strings attached. For example, some sites sign you up for a supposedly “free” service that converts to one you have to pay for after a trial period. If you don’t cancel during the trial period, you may be unwittingly agreeing to let the company start charging fees to your credit card.

For more information on how and why you might want to obtain your credit report(s), visit the FTC page, visit "Facts for Consumers: Your Access to Free Credit Reports," at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre34.shtm.

Federal Consumer Information Center Warning

"Beware!" says the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The BBB has seen a considerable spike in both complaints and inquiries from consumers who state that they received misleading mailers or high-pressure telemarketing calls claiming their auto warranty was about to expire.

“As an outgrowth of our country’s economic troubles, and to some extent problems in the auto industry, BBB is hearing from consumers nationwide who are being bombarded by telemarketers and mailers trying to scare them into thinking their auto warranty is about to expire and if they don’t sign-up now the offer expires,” said Steve Cox, BBB spokesperson. “Not only are these telemarketers lying about the consumer’s coverage, they are potentially ignoring federal laws such as the Do-Not-Call registry.”

For the full story on this and other consumer alerts, visit the Federal Consumer Information News & Notes site at http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/newsnote.htm.