Scores Differ from same place

[holhat]

Im still credit stupid so I have to ask.......

I got my scores from Experian here on this site and then paid 5 bucks to get it from the actual Experian site just for comparison and because I have read much on here about where to and where not to get credit scores and some are real and some are fake (????)......confusing.  Anyway, the scores differed significantly.

Anyone know why or how I know which one is evaluated when I want to use my credit? 

Thanks! 

[haulingthescoreup]

The scores that are used by lenders are FICO scores, which are what you get here.

Experian cheerfully sells you their home-grown PLUS scores, which are FAKO's.

Other sources of FAKO's are TrueCredit, CreditSecure, any other non-FICO source, and TransUnion.

You can get your FICO EQ score directly from Equifax.
You can get your FICO TU score from transunioncs.com <-- note the "cs": this is not from the regular transunion.com site.

[holhat]

I got a "vantage score" from Experian.com

The score on this site using score watch is alot higher then the one at Experian.com.  Im so confused!!  Why would anyone want a fake score???  

[holhat]

Wow.....tricky, tricky.  I would not have been able to tell the difference in the two TU sites.  In fact, I have an old report from the wrong TU.  

Doesn't seem very fair to trick people like that, kind of irritating actually.  I'm doubting the report I just got from Experian.com now too.  I never would have known.....thank you so much.

[haulingthescoreup]

Sorry you got burned. Many of us did, before we found out.

Sad to say, there are a lot of businesses that know that consumers are aware that they have a "credit score", and they're more than happy to give sell them one. They forget to mention that the FICO's are the ones that count.

It's like having 8 bathroom scales, when only one is correct. You can get all sorts of readings, but 7 mean nothing.

Message Edited by haulingthescoreup on 12-19-2008 04:10 AM