CLEVELAND -- Cherisse Watson didn't know what hit her when she was shopping around for car insurance.

A local provider gave her a rate that was far more than she was willing to spend.

"At that point, I said thank you. I'll go elsewhere," she said.

She did some digging to find out why her rates were so high. She uncovered what is called a CLUE report.

"A CLUE report is a report that shows all damages and claims to a person or place," said John Haas, with Allstate Insurance.

That means every wreck, every nick on your car, every claim that is filed with your insurance is company is listed in the report and everyone should get a copy.

Cherisse did and found a mistake. When shopping for insurance, she listed her address as her mother's. She found out later that at that very address, a car crashed in the driveway.

Cherisse's CLUE report shows that she filed that claim, sending the insurance rates she was offered to be unreasonably high.

"I was upset becasue it wasn't something I did," she said.

It may sounds sneaky, but those within the insurance industry say there's nothing sneaky about it.

"It's not a secret," Haas said. "It's been in use for decades."

And we're not just talking about car insurance, but homeowners insurance too.

If you bought a house, you may not know a tree fell on the house or if there was asbestos found in the walls, all information that could cause your insurance to go up.

But don't think you can get a CLUE report yourself if you're about to buy a house.

The only person who can request a report on a property is the seller.

So if you're considering buying a house, you may want to make a CLUE report part of the bargaining process.

You're entitled to a free copy of your CLUE report once a year but it's incumbent on you to get one.

To get your CLUE report, go to www.choicetrust.com.