Sometimes you can bend the rules. Other times, you just have to follow them to get what you want. Remember that when you go online to get those free credit reports you’re entitled to every 12 months. There’s only one place to get them–no matter what you may be led to believe through ads or unsolicited offers.

Natalie Meyer, for instance, thought she was getting a free credit report when she logged on to a site called CreditReport.com. “It advertised the report was free, but the company charged me $9.95 for it, she complained. CreditReport.com, one of many providers of online credit reports and credit monitoring services, boldly offers to provide free credit reports and credit scores “in seconds.” You have to read the fine print at the bottom of the web page to discover free is not what it seems.

When you order a free credit report from the site, you’re enrolled automatically in a 30-day trial of credit monitoring. You will be billed $11.95 for each month that you continue your membership if you do not cancel your membership within the 30 day trial period, the fine print states.

Under the federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, you’re entitled to a copy of your credit report once every 12 months from each consumer credit reporting agency. The law required the three major agencies–Equifax, Experian and TransUnion–three to establish a central source for distribution of the free credit reports.

That site is www.AnnualCreditReport.com.

You cannot request free credit reports through the websites of the individual credit reporting agencies or from any other website other than www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Keep in mind that the law gives you free access only to your credit report. It does not entitle you to free copies of your credit score, the three digit number lenders use to assess the likelihood that you’ll repay your debts. If you want your score along with your free credit report, you’ll be charged a modest fee.

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