"Freee credit report dot com....I could've seen this coming at me like an atom bomb." You've caught yourself singing the jingle in the shower or quieting your spouse before it infects your brain. Now the federal government is trying to combat the powerful commercials with their own jingles.

In light of the fact that freecreditreport.com actually includes hidden fees, the Federal Trade Commission is now featuring a video series that spoofs the notorious seafood selling, guitar player at the heart of the marketing campaign.  

The new videos highlight the differences between AnnualCreditReport.com -- the only authorized source to get your free annual credit report under federal law -- and other sites that claim to provide “free” credit reports but require users to pay hidden fees or agree to additional services. It's certainly an entertaining attempt to safeguard us easily duped citizens from falling prey to an otherwise successful marketing campaign.

The FTC encourages people to post its videos on their own websites or blogs, and provides tools to help them do so. The jingles also are available as 30-second audio public service announcements at www.ftc.gov/freereports.

And the original. Warning: highly contagious.

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