After lunch today I received a weird message on my phone. Some lady was looking for a guy name Bob who apparently worked for Jager Music (yes, of the alcoholic variety) and she was from All State Promotions. I guess there is this event or appointment Bob needs to be at tomorrow in a nearby town. So I called back and left a message on the ladies voicemal informing her it might have been a wrong number. Naturally I went off to class and she called me back leaving a message on my voicemail:

"This is Tesh from Allstate Promotions and this is a message for Bob. Just calling to confirm that you will be at the event tomorrow in Modesto"

Ok, now I get only a bit more concered as the only Allstate I can think of is of the insurance variety. This raises a red flag in my head and I had to investigate.

As a struggaling college student I have took out (small) loans to supplement the cost of school (i.e. tuition, books, transportation, etc). So anything unexpected would hurt me.

I looked and researched into credit reports to see if there was something out of the ordinary on my report. A quick google search turned up a link on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) so I knew this wasnt a scam. As the FTC explains each individual is entitled to one free credit report a year. If you make large purchases (house, car, boat, etc) more than once a year then this isnt for you. Most students like myself live paycheck by paycheck so there are lots of instances where identities can get stolen and ruined.

If you follow the links and instructions on annualcreditreport.com it is very quick and painless process. In my opinion its faster with Experian. I was able to enter my information and verify my identity and view my credit report. It even outlines what creditors can see and what I myself can only see. Near the top of the screen you are also able to print out the whole report.

Needless to say I didnt see anything out of the ordinary (*knock on wood*) and I have yet to have heard back from that lady.

I may call her again just to make sure that the number she was calling was by mistake alone.