I just found out that the credit score the consumer gets online is different that the one the lender receives. A lender told me that he doesn't look at the credit score that consumers get online, because it is different than the ones the lenders get. So, if you apply for, say, a home loan, the credit score you see online will be about 50 to 100 points lower on the score the lender gets. This is ridiculous! This will also show up on your credit report as a inquiry and negatively affect your credit! Why aren't the credit bureaus required to inform consumers of this. And, why would anyone use a credit monitoring program, when it won't be correct anyway? The way I see it-what you see as a credit score should be what a lender sees. I called Transunion's TrueCredit and asked the woman there. She said the lenders use their own formula for different accounts(IE:mortgage, credit card, etc). I told her that if a consumer receives a declined offer and it lists...for example:equifax beacon score and gives a score--there are no formulas involved! It would be straight form the credit bureau. Then she started selling--"that's why you need credit monitoring!" I stopped her--"Why would you use credit monitoring after what I have told you?" I thanked her and hung up. I think that this should be illegal! Maybe, unfair disclosure?