In identity theft cases, may a consumer obtain additional free reports beyond the annual one per CRA?

• A. No
• B. Only if they file a police report
• C. Yes
• D. Only with a court order

Answer: (C)

The right being tested is the identity theft exception to the usual free-credit-report rule. Under the FACT Act, a consumer who is a victim of identity theft can obtain one additional free credit report from each nationwide credit reporting agency, beyond the standard one free report per year. This helps the victim monitor activity and spot fraudulent accounts. To access this extra report, the consumer typically documents identity theft—for example, by filing an Identity Theft Report or a police report. That makes the option true: yes, there is a path to an additional free report. The other choices aren’t correct because a police report isn’t the only valid form of documentation for this purpose, and there isn’t a requirement for a court order, nor is it true that no extra report is available.