In 2004, the U.S. Congress ordered the three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion – to craft a website to allow consumers to order their credit reports online for free, once per year.

Not long after, Experian realized the legislation presented a clever, untapped marketing opportunity. They launched FreeCreditReport.com with the (obvious) hope that unsuspecting consumers wouldn’t know the difference between their not-so-free site and Congress’ mandated, free alternative.

Consumers have since been inundated on television, in print and, of course, online with ads for the FreeCreditReport.com website. That sing-song jingle (“Freeeeee Credit Report … dot.com!”) alone should be a crime, but that’s another topic for another day.

Blame it on their need for a catchy website name, but Experian clearly hid the fact that their “free” credit reports were only offered with consumer enrollment in the agency’s paid Triple Advantage program. In fairness, “Twelve ninety-five per month credit report … dot.com!” just doesn’t have quite the same ring.

Evidently, the agency’s marketing and business tactics were a little overzealous and more than a little shady - enough so that state and federal governments took notice. In late 2006, Florida’s state attorney general’s office launched an investigation into Experian’s business practices, citing a “failure to adequately disclose negative option enrollment … deceptive advertising, misleading domain name, and failure to honor cancellations.”

A previous 2005 investigation had the Federal Trade Commission charging that Experian “misled consumers about their association with the annual free credit report program”. The agency flatly denied the claim, but agreed to settle and refund $1 million in “ill-gotten gains” to consumers anyway.

Fast-forward three years and clearly little has changed. As of February, 2008, Googling the search term “FreeCreditReport.com scam” reveals a disheartening 35,000 results. These results include a staggering number of blogs and forums wherein consumers offer comments with variations on a common theme:

FCR is a shady and dishonest venture from Experian. I found that I was billed for a year of their service after giving my information for a one-time “free” check. When I disputed the charge, I thought that I had just been careless in enrolling. What a SHAM! – Erik, NJ (MSNBC’s Red Tape Chronicles blog)

As a victim of Experian’s ploy, I too count myself among the unsuspecting. My “unsubscribing” to their Triple Advantage plan required countless phone calls, e-mails, filling out online forms - everything short of a Papal intervention.

Bottom line: the safest way to request your free annual credit report is through AnnualCreditReport.com. Period.