Q: I read your story several months ago that said the government now allows consumers to get one free copy of their credit report every year. I am planning to purchase a house soon, so I went to an Internet site that I saw advertised to order my free report. I received my copy right away, but then was sent a bill for $79 for an annual “credit-monitoring service” that I didn’t even realize I had signed up for. What gives?

A: The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 allows all American consumers to receive one free copy of their credit report every year. The best way to order the report is to visit www.annualcreditreport.com, an Internet site created by the nation’s three largest credit bureaus – Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.

Unfortunately, the new law also has triggered the creation of hundreds of other Web sites with similar-sounding names that aren’t always on the up and up.

As you discovered, some of these sites offer free reports but also sign unwary visitors up for expensive and unnecessary credit-monitoring services. Others sell the information a consumer provides to mass-marketing firms or other companies. A few sites are operated by downright thieves, who take the consumer’s information and use it to raid their bank accounts, apply for credit cards or even obtain mortgages.

The Federal Trade Commission recently began cracking down on some of these nefarious Web sites. For example, more than 1 million people who went to www.consumerinfo.com and its sister site www.freecreditreport.com for a free report but inadvertently signed up for a credit-monitoring program are expected to have their money refunded in the coming months. The FTC has completely shut down a handful of other sites and is trying to send their operators to prison.

Of course, FTC watchdogs can’t solve the problem overnight. To protect themselves, consumers seeking a free report with no strings attached should use only www.annualcreditreport.com. Again, it’s the one and only site that is operated and backed by the nation’s three largest credit bureaus.

Q: How can I verify that someone has a valid real estate license?

A: The best way is to contact your state’s real estate department or real estate commission. In most states, these regulators can confirm whether a person is licensed and also disclose whether a licensee has been subject to any disciplinary action in the past.

As an alternative, you can visit the Web site operated by the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials, at www.arello.org.

The association, commonly known as ARELLO, represents realty regulators in all 50 states. Its Web page allows you to type in a person’s name and verify his or her license’s status, but it cannot give you the more in-depth information that your own state’s real estate department may be able to provide.

Q: Is it true that former football star O.J. Simpson has been looking for a new home in New York? Also, does he still own a mansion in Los Angeles?

A: Simpson, who was acquitted of murdering his former wife, Nicole, and her friend 10 years ago last month, was recently seen visiting several open houses in New York’s Niagara County – not far from where he once starred as a running back for the Buffalo Bills.

Simpson, now 58, currently resides in Florida. The L.A.-area mansion he owned while he was on trial was purchased several years ago by a private investor, who then razed it and built an even larger home on the site.

The nearby townhouse where Nicole Simpson and her friend were slaughtered has been reconfigured and made more “private,” in part to discourage the thousands of lookie-loos who once jammed the street to get a glimpse of the murder scene.

Q: If my wife and I create the type of living trust that you have written about, would we have to put everything we own into the trust? Or, could we instead put our home and some other assets into the trust but leave others out of it?

A: The key benefit of creating a living trust is that it allows property that is held in the trust to avoid the costly and time-consuming probate process, which in turn allows heirs to get the property quickly, without the estate paying thousands of dollars in attorney fees and court costs.

A less-publicized benefit is that trusts are very flexible: You can put all of your assets into the trust, or put only some in and leave others out. You also can add or subtract assets anytime that you wish.

If you create a trust but decide to put only some of your assets into it, you should consider giving your successor trustee or other person a Durable Power of Attorney for Finances. The document is available for about $5 at most business-supply stores and, once signed, will allow the trustee to manage any assets you left outside the trust after you die.

– David W. Myers is a 20-year veteran of the newspaper and magazine business, having previously covered real estate for the Los Angeles Times and Investor’s Business Daily.