From the GovGab blog:
Keep Your Free Credit Report Free
"I'm sure after your Black Friday shopping some of you are wondering if you hurt your credit. By law you are entitled to one free credit report a year from each of the major credit bureaus---Experian, Equifax and TransUnion---and you can find out how to get it at annualcreditreport.com.

It's important to go to that website in particular because as Colleen showed us back in March some websites lure you in and charge you monthly fees. You may have seen TV advertisements from other companies which show people singing about their misfortune due to not checking their credit. When I wanted to check my credit, I signed up for a credit report from one of these websites. Suddenly, I found myself paying $15 a month to find out that nothing on my credit report had changed.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) gets complaints about situations like mine and has aired advertisements like the one above to get people to the right website. In October, the FTC proposed new rules to curb consumer confusion and stop deceptive marketing regarding free credit report advertisements. The proposed rules include requirements for these companies to put disclaimers on their advertisements and websites so consumers are less confused. FTC's deadline to implement the new rules is February 22, 2010.