International Baccalaureate (IB) Practice Exam

Which of the following statements is false regarding the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)?

1. Creditors must notify consumers if they deny credit based on a credit report.

2. The U.S. Congress enacted the FCRA to ensure privacy and accuracy.

3. Consumers can challenge errors in their credit reports before FCRA.

4. Consumers are allowed one free credit report every five years.

The correct answer is: Consumers can challenge errors in their credit reports before FCRA.

The statement asserting that consumers can challenge errors in their credit reports before the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is false because the FCRA established the framework for consumers to dispute inaccuracies in their credit reports. Prior to the FCRA, there were no standardized rights that mandated how consumers could address whether their credit report contained errors, nor was there a formal process for disputing those inaccuracies. The enactment of the FCRA in 1970 specifically provided consumers the right to dispute information and have it investigated, thereby enhancing the reliability of credit reporting. In contrast, the other statements accurately reflect provisions of the FCRA. Creditors are indeed required to notify consumers when their credit has been denied based on information in a credit report. The law was created to uphold consumer privacy and ensure that the information provided in credit reports is accurate and fair. Moreover, while consumers are granted access to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting agencies, the specific statement about receiving one free report every five years is misleading, as they can obtain one report every year, making this incorrect regarding the frequency allowed under the FCRA.