MSNBC, Redtape Chronicles
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2011/04/lawsuit-experian-sells-misleading-credit-scores.htmlLawsuit: Credit score sites mislead consumersPosted: Friday, April 8 2011 at 05:00 am CT by Bob Sullivan
Confused about your credit score and where to get it? That’s intentional, according to a new lawsuit filed in a California federal court.
Many consumers who think they are buying a peek at their credit scores are being defrauded, according to a lawsuit against credit bureau giant Experian. The case, which seeks class action status, claims that Experian is intentionally confusing customers, engaging in false advertising and not giving consumers what they pay for when they sign up for services at the firm’s popular FreeCreditReport.com and FreeCreditScore.com Web sites.
"It's a classic consumer fraud case," said David Woodward, one of the lawyers who filed the case. "The law is designed to prohibit exactly this kind of egregious advertising practice. ... The defendant is profiting from deception."
Experian, through its ConsumerInfo brand, aggressively markets access to credit scores as a benefit of subscribing to its credit monitoring service. Knowing your credit score, ads suggest, is essential before borrowing money and could save consumers thousands of dollars.