Every day millions of consumers turn on their TV and see adds for companies such as CreditKarma claiming to provide them with free credit scores (which by the way are never truly “free”). Sounds like a fantastic deal for obtain credit scores right? Wrong.

Here is what the average consumer doesn’t know. Credit Scores are not real. Credit “scores” are misnomers. They do not have any impact on your everyday life and are not accurate reflections and/or calculations of an individual’s credit history.

Real credit “scores”, are actually called FICO scores. FICO scores are the calculated numbers pulled by lenders when deciding a consumers financial future. These scores are calculated by the Fair Isaac Corporation. This calculation is the only scoring that impacts a consumer.

The “credit scores” offered by companies such as CreditKarma and CreditSesame and freecreditscore.com are 100% made up. Not only are these numbers made up but these companies are not providing you with accurate information regarding your credit history. Many of these companies also have unsecured websites which means once the consumer signs up that consumer’s personal information (such as date of birth, address and social security number) are now easily accessible on the internet.

How do these companies get away with selling false information? Once again, the credit “scores” are called “credit scores”. They never claim to provide FICO scores. So these companies are selling a product. The average consumer simply isn’t informed that credit reports are not calculated into credit scores.

In order to obtain accurate scores, a consumer must sign up with a company that provides FICO scores. In today’s day most major banks, credit unions and credit card companies provide FICO scores at no cost to the individual. However, they only provide these upon the individual’s request.

Do your research. Look into your bank as well as the credit cards you currently hold. Google the company along with terms such as “FICO tracker” (Example: Google – “Capital One FICO Tracker) you should be provided the ability to sign up online to start receiving accurate readings.