It is very easy to find a site that is neat, professional-looking, and one that offers a free three-agency credit report and free credit report without a credit card.

This scam is too good to be true. Usually the only catch is an upfront charge to the consumer of $7.95 or something similar for each disputed item on your report. I was on the verge of signing up, but got a sneaking suspicion that something wasn't right.

Every other site I'd seen offered an Equifax report for free, and a three-agency report for around $35. How could they offer it for free, and How could anyone get a free credit report without a credit card?

Skeptical, I researched the company and found multiple complaints. One of the prominent ones was a claim that they disputed every negative entry on your credit report without your approval, and then charged you $7.95 for each one.

I requested an explanation of the above link to give them a chance to share their side of the story. While I awaited their response I continued my research.

The Department of Justice says there is nothing a credit repair agency can do that you can't do for free, making Clear Credit's offer seem even more suspicious.

Almost all of the other sites I found made it clear that you should be suspicious of anyone claiming to improve your credit for a fee and offering free credit report without a credit card, because non-profit groups are available to help people with credit trouble.

My hopes were dashed in a matter of days. I received two e-mails from Clear Credit, but they didn't contain an explanation. They told me to act now to improve my credit.

They spam a potential customer who made a perfectly legitimate request for more information. I was not impressed.

My search to find a quality three-agency credit report for a low price will continue, but Clear Credit is clearly off the list.