On April 2, new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules went into effect that require for-profit credit reporting sites to direct consumers seeking a free credit report to a government site that offers one complimentary credit report per year.

In an effort to circumvent the FTC crackdown, FreeCreditReport.com is now charging $1 for a seven-day trial membership in its credit reporting service. Previously, consumers who signed up for the service got a free one-week trial that automatically transitioned into a monitoring service subscription that costs $14.95 a month. The FTC didn't think Experian, which owns the site, disclosed the automatic membership clearly enough in its commercials.

Instead of adding the FTC-required notice to its Web site, Experian added a box explaining the $1 charge on its Web site:

Due to federally imposed restrictions, it is no longer feasible for us to provide you with a free Experian Credit Report. So for now we'll be charging you $1 for your report.

Experian will donate the money collected through the token charge to charity.

Consumers who enroll in the trial membership will still be automatically enrolled in the $14.95-a-month program.

The New York Times Wednesday questioned whether Experian has solved its problem or whether it's setting itself up for more fire from the FTC.

On April 2, new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules went into effect that require for-profit credit reporting sites to direct consumers seeking a free credit report to a government site that offers one complimentary credit report per year.

In an effort to circumvent the FTC crackdown, FreeCreditReport.com is now charging $1 for a seven-day trial membership in its credit reporting service. Previously, consumers who signed up for the service got a free one-week trial that automatically transitioned into a monitoring service subscription that costs $14.95 a month. The FTC didn't think Experian, which owns the site, disclosed the automatic membership clearly enough in its commercials.

Instead of adding the FTC-required notice to its Web site, Experian added a box explaining the $1 charge on its Web site:

Due to federally imposed restrictions, it is no longer feasible for us to provide you with a free Experian Credit Report. So for now we'll be charging you $1 for your report.

Experian will donate the money collected through the token charge to charity.

Consumers who enroll in the trial membership will still be automatically enrolled in the $14.95-a-month program.

The New York Times Wednesday questioned whether Experian has solved its problem or whether it's setting itself up for more fire from the FTC.