Who it’s for and what people take away
Adults who have never seen their credit report, who have been refused credit or a rental, or who want to rebuild after a hard time.
By the end, people can:
- describe what a credit report holds and who looks at it
- get their own report free through the official route for their country
- spot common errors and signs of identity theft on a report, and dispute them in writing
- explain in general terms how a score is built and what helps rebuild it over time
Before the session
- Book a room with tables for small groups, and check the slides display on the projector or screen.
- Print the handout with the country block for the country you are teaching in, one per person plus spares.
- Print the worksheet, one per person, and bring pens.
- Print slide 7 (the made-up report) once per table of three or four for the activity.
- Read the country block for your country and open each official link once, so you can explain the free route to a report.
- Don’t plan to help anyone request their report during the session. Show where to go, and let people do it privately at home.
You will need
- Projector or large screen
- Printed handouts with the right country block
- Printed worksheets, one per person
- Printed copies of the made-up report (slide 7), one per table
- Pens and highlighters
Run sheet
60 minutes. Slide numbers refer to the deck.
Session timings| Starts | Length | What happens |
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| 0:00 | 5 min | Welcome and ground rulesSlides 1–2Introduce yourself in a sentence. Set the ground rules: nobody shares their report or score, this is general information, and no products or services will be recommended.Say: “A credit report is a record about you that you have the right to see. Today is about reading it and fixing it.” |
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| 0:05 | 8 min | What a credit report isSlides 3–4Explain who keeps credit reports, who looks at them, and what is usually on one. Make clear that a report and a score are different things.Say: “Lenders, landlords and sometimes employers look at this record. You should see it before they do.” |
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| 0:13 | 7 min | Getting yours freeSlides 5Explain that each country covered has a free, official route to your own report, and walk through it from the country block. Warn about sites that ask for card details or sign people up to subscriptions.Say: “Use the official route on your handout. You shouldn’t need a card number to see your own report.” |
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| 0:20 | 15 min | Activity: read a made-up reportSlides 6–7Put people in tables of three or four with the printed report. Run the activity steps below, calling time at 5, 10 and 13 minutes. Use the last two minutes to debrief.Say: “This report belongs to nobody. Go through it line by line and decide what is fine, what is wrong and what looks like fraud.” |
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| 0:35 | 8 min | Disputing errorsSlides 8–9Walk through how to dispute an error in writing: who to contact, what to include, and what to do if the answer is no. Link each step to what groups found in the activity.Say: “Write to the credit bureau and to the company that reported it. Send copies, never originals, and keep a copy of everything.” |
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| 0:43 | 9 min | How a score is built and rebuiltSlides 10–12Explain that a score is calculated from the report, that different bureaus and models give different numbers, and the things that generally matter. Then cover how scores rebuild over time, and why paying someone to remove accurate information doesn’t work.Say: “There’s no trick to a score. Time and on-time payments are what rebuild it.” |
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| 0:52 | 4 min | If someone uses your nameSlides 13Cover the signs of identity theft on a report and the first steps: contact the lender and the bureau, and ask about a fraud alert, freeze or ban. Point to the country block.Say: “An account you didn’t open is a warning sign. Act on it the same day.” |
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| 0:56 | 4 min | Next step, questions and closeSlides 14–15Ask everyone to tick one next step on the worksheet, privately. Take questions, keeping answers general. Thank the host.Say: “Request one free report this month, and read it line by line.” |
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Read a made-up report
15 minutes, using the worksheet.
- Give each table the made-up report from slide 7. It belongs to nobody, and the amounts have no currency.
- Read each line together and mark it on the worksheet table: looks fine, possible error, or possible fraud.
- The lines are: an old address in a town the person has never lived in; a phone contract paid on time for three years; a credit card with a limit of 1,000 and a balance of 900, showing one late payment two months ago, though the person has a receipt showing it was paid on time; a store card opened last month that the person never applied for; a loan paid off four years ago that still shows a balance of 200; the same unpaid bill of 150 listed twice by two different collectors; and three credit checks last month, one from a lender the person doesn’t recognize.
- For each error, decide who to contact: the credit bureau, the company that reported it, or both.
- For the store card, list the first three things the person should do.
- Write one sentence the person could use in a dispute letter for the late payment, saying what is wrong and what evidence they are sending.
Questions for the room afterwards
- Which lines looked like simple mistakes, and which looked like fraud?
- Which of these could be holding a score down, and why?
- What evidence would you send for the late payment and the paid-off loan?
- Why might the same debt appear twice, and why does it matter?
Take care
General information, never advice about one person’s situation, and nothing to sell.
- Never ask anyone to bring, show or read out their own credit report or score, and don’t look at one if offered.
- Don’t name or recommend credit repair firms, score-monitoring services, “credit builder” products, cards or lenders.
- Don’t promise how much a score will change or by when. Scoring models vary and aren’t public.
- Don’t help anyone enter personal details into a website during the session. Show the official route and let them do it privately.
- If someone thinks they are a victim of identity theft, speak with them privately and point to the steps in the country block that they can take today.
- Be careful with judgment: people with poor credit have often been through illness, job loss or a relationship ending.
Questions people ask
Will checking my own report lower my score?
In several of the countries covered here, the official guidance says checking your own report or score doesn’t affect it. A check by a lender when you apply for credit is different, and can be recorded on your report. See the country block.
Why do I have different scores in different places?
Bureaus can hold different information, and there are different scoring models. That’s normal. The report matters more than any single number, so check the report from each bureau.
Can I pay someone to remove bad marks?
Nobody can legally remove accurate information for a fee. You can dispute errors yourself, for free. Accurate negative information drops off after a set time, which differs by country; the country block gives it where we could confirm it.
I have no credit history. Is that bad?
It can make it harder to get credit or a rental, because there is little for a lender to look at. A history builds over time from accounts paid on time. A free, independent adviser can talk through options for your situation.
How long does a dispute take?
There are time limits for the bureau or lender to respond, and they differ by country. Keep a note of the date you sent your dispute and follow up if you hear nothing. If the answer is no, the country block says where to complain.
Someone opened an account in my name. What do I do first?
Contact the lender that opened it and the credit bureaus, and ask about a fraud alert, freeze or ban on your report. Report it as the country block describes, and keep a record of every call and letter.
Where you are teaching
The rules differ by country. Teach the shared material from the slides, then use the block for the country you are in, and hand out that country’s sheet.
United States
- Free reports. You can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) once a week at AnnualCreditReport.com, or by calling (877) 322-8228. Requesting your own reports will not hurt your credit score.
- After a denial. If you are denied credit, insurance or employment based on a credit report, you have a right to a free report from the company named in the notice, if you ask within 60 days of receiving it.
- Disputing errors. You have the right to dispute errors. Contact both the credit reporting company and the company that provided the information, explain in writing what is wrong and why, and include copies (not originals) of supporting documents. Companies that provided the information generally must investigate and respond within 30 days of receiving the dispute.
- How long information stays. Credit reporting companies can generally report most negative information for seven years. Bankruptcies can stay on your report for up to ten years.
- Freezes and fraud alerts. You can freeze and unfreeze your credit file for free at each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies, contacting each one. A fraud alert requires creditors to take steps to verify your identity before opening a new account. If you suspect identity theft, IdentityTheft.gov is the federal government’s resource for reporting and recovering.
United Kingdom
- Your right to see your file. The three main credit reference agencies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You have the right to ask any of them for a copy of the information held about your financial standing, free of charge. You don’t have to sign up to a paid subscription to get it.
- How long they have to respond. Unless an agency needs more information, it has one month from receiving your request to respond. It can take up to two more months in some circumstances, but must tell you why within the first month.
- If your file is wrong. Raise it with the credit reference agency, and with the lender or organisation that supplied the information. You can also ask for a Notice of Correction, a statement explaining your situation that anyone checking that entry will see.
- Where to complain. If the agency and the lender won’t correct an obvious inaccuracy, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. For a complaint about how a lender treated you, complain to the lender first, then to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.
Canada
- Free reports. You can get your credit report free online from Canada’s two main credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion, or ask either to mail you a free copy. Checking your own credit report or score doesn’t affect your score.
- Free scores. The FCAC says Equifax offers your credit score free in all provinces and territories, and TransUnion free if you live in Quebec or Ontario.
- Fixing errors. You have the right to dispute any information on your report you believe is wrong, and credit bureaus must correct errors for free. If you’re not satisfied with the investigation, you can add a brief consumer statement to your report.
- Fraud alerts and freezes. If you suspect fraud, ask Equifax and TransUnion to place a fraud alert, so lenders contact you to confirm your identity before approving credit, and report the fraud to the National Fraud Reporting System. In some provinces and territories you can also place a security freeze.
Australia
- Free reports. A credit reporting body must give you your consumer credit report free once every 3 months. You can also get a free copy if you’ve been refused credit in the past 90 days, or if your information has been corrected. Credit reporting bodies may hold different information, so you may need to ask each one.
- Correcting your report. Ask the credit provider about the information first, or ask any credit reporting body to correct it. If the one you ask can’t help, it must consult the others to complete your request. The OAIC says there is no charge for a correction request.
- How long information stays. Defaults, court judgments and credit enquiries stay on your report for 5 years.
- If you’re a victim of fraud. You can ask a credit reporting body to place a ban on your credit report so it can’t be used in a credit check. A ban lasts 21 days and can be extended, and you can ask one credit reporting body to pass your request to the others.
- Financial hardship. A financial hardship arrangement, such as deferring a payment, does not affect your credit score, though it can appear on your credit report.
- Where to complain. Credit providers and credit reporting bodies must belong to a recognised external dispute resolution scheme, such as AFCA. If you’re not satisfied with the outcome, or would rather complain to the regulator, you can complain in writing to the OAIC.