pbs kids go
play games
insurance chicago
Credit Information

Beware of Bogus Credit Repair Companies!





So-called "credit repair" companies claim they can remove negative information from credit reports. Advertising as "Credit Advisors," "Credit Rating Correction Services" or "Credit Consultants," they trumpet variations on this message: "Turned down because of bad credit? We can help!" Many of these companies charge hundreds if not thousands of dollars for the promise to "clean up" bad credit reports. But the truth is, these companies can only do what you could do yourself--at no charge.

Nobody can remove negative information that is accurate from your credit report. No company has a "secret" ability to remove all negative information.

But this doesn't stop their claims. This deceptive quote is from a credit repair company brochure: "Charged-off accounts, collection accounts, judgments, tax liens, repossessions, and even bankruptcies can be removed from your credit records in less than one year (five to seven month average)."

One tactic is to bombard credit reporting agencies with requests to verify information. If a credit reporting agency cannot verify an entry within 60 days, it will remove the information from the report. But if the information is later verified to be accurate, it will go back in the report.

Before you even consider signing a contract with a company that promises to repair your credit, remember these facts:

  • You may obtain a copy of your credit report on your own.

  • You have the right to dispute entries in your credit report.

Beware guaranteed credit offers!

Credit repair and other companies often claim they "guarantee" to get you a credit card, regardless of your credit history. In fact, these companies do not always honor their guarantee. Sometimes, they'll just take your money and run--you will not get any credit, regardless of what they promised.

If they get you a card at all it often will be a "secured" bank credit card, with high up-front "application" fees, that requires you to deposit and keep several hundred dollars in a savings account, or a card that only allows you to buy items in a catalogue from a business that you probably never heard of. (You can apply for a secured credit card by yourself. For a free list of banks that do not charge application fees for secured cards, see the information from Consumer Action in the "For More Information" section below.)

Credit repair companies often advertise on television, in newspapers and even on matchbooks. Sometimes they require consumers to dial a "900" telephone number to get more information. Calls to 900 numbers can cost $2 or $3 a minute, so listening to a few minutes of information about the cards can be expensive.

Some companies try to get people a credit card by having them apply using financial information of other people with good credit histories. It is a criminal act to apply for credit under someone else's name--do not do business with one of these companies.

Law enforcement agencies have shut down many credit repair outfits, but it is hard to stop a fraudulent credit repair outfit unless people complain about it. Therefore, be careful about responding to credit repair ads and be sure to complain to the agencies listed below if you think a credit repair company took advantage of you.

For more information

  • The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) publishes information for consumers on the subject of credit and enforces federal laws on credit. For a list of free publications, write to the FTC's Public Reference Department at the address given below. While the FTC does not handle individual cases, it can act when it sees a pattern of possible law violations develop. Complaints about credit reporting agencies and credit repair scams must be in writing. Send them to: FTC Credit Practices Division, 6th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20580.

  • Contact your local consumer protection agency or your state Attorney General's office. Many Attorneys General have toll-free consumer hotlines. These numbers may be listed in the "self-help" or government sections in the front of your phone book. These agencies can offer you advice and may also be able to help resolve your complaint.

  • Consumer Action's free complaint/information switchboards offering non-legal consumer advice and referrals can be reached from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. Chinese, English and Spanish are spoken. Call either (415) 777-9635 (San Francisco office) or (213) 624-8327 (Los Angeles office). Consumer Action has a free list of secured credit card banks that do not charge application fees. To receive a free copy, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Consumer Action Secured Credit Card Survey, 717 Market St., Suite 310, San Francisco, CA 94103. (Available in English only.)

  • The Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) assists consumers who have problems in paying their bills--before their good credit ratings suffer. Your local CCCS office can help you work out flexible payment plans to make debt repayment more feasible. Call (800) 388-CCCS for an interactive recording that will provide you with the phone number of the office nearest to you. Spanish-speakers can call (800) 68-AYUDA (800-682-9832) between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. central time.

  • Before you sign a contract with any company, check it out with the local Better Business Bureau (BBB), a non-government service which advises consumers on fraud prevention. Call your local BBB. If you cannot find a local number listed in the phone directory, call the Council of Better Business Bureaus at (703) 276-0100 for a referral to the office nearest you.

About The Author

© Copyright. http://www.deleteuglycredit.com

Omar M. Omar is the owner of http://www.deleteuglycredit.com. The website is dedicated to provide credit consumers with information about their credit right and how to dispute inaccurate information on their credit report. Omar M. Omar is also the author Of "The Credit Repair Bible" book.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, in your Newsletter, on your website, or in your E-Book, as long as the author's Resource Box is included with the article.

omar@deleteuglycredit.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Bloomberg

Chinese Nod for Citibank Credit Cards May Signal Market Opening
BusinessWeek
6 (Bloomberg) -- China's decision to allow Citigroup Inc. to issue credit cards in its own name may signal a step toward the government in Beijing opening its banking industry. New York-based Citigroup is the second foreign bank, and the first Western ...
Nod for Citibank's Credit Cards May Signal Chinese Banking Market OpeningBloomberg
Citi gets approval to issue credit card in ChinaBoston.com
Citi wins OK for Chinese credit cardCNN
Financial Times
all 114 news articles »


ABC News

Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images.
ABC News
Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images. Madonna went over the top with the Super Bowl halftime show as only the Queen of Pop could, doing a sequin and gold-studded medley of some of her greatest hits - "Vogue," "Like a Prayer" - and a couple of her ...
Video and Photos of Madonna's Super Bowl Halftime Show 2012: Pop Queen Stunned ...International Business Times
Madonna halftime show: Flipped finger upstages Material GirlOrlando Sentinel (blog)

all 2,800 news articles »


Navigant Credit Union Selects Acumen from Fiserv
MarketWatch (press release)
Fiserv, Inc. /quotes/zigman/72191/quotes/nls/fisv FISV -0.99% , a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions and the largest provider of business-driven technology solutions for credit unions, announced today that Navigant ...

and more »


Credit Cards For Kids
San Francisco Chronicle
Should you give your child a credit card? Maybe. Credit cards are an increasingly common payment method in today's world, so the sooner your child learns to manage credit responsibly, the better. Can you teach your child to manage credit responsibly, ...
The 2012 Election & Your Credit CardsCredit.com News (blog)

all 2 news articles »


Bloomberg

Denmark's Credit Crunch Worsening as Retrenching Banks Spur Vicious Circle
Bloomberg
Denmark's credit crunch is getting worse as businesses accuse banks of withholding funds and the financial regulator warns that deteriorating asset quality may put more lenders out of business. “When we ask our companies, small- and medium-sized, ...

and more »


ESPN (blog)

Brady: Credit to the Giants
ESPN (blog)
"I'd like to give the Giants a lot of credit," he said. "They certainly made the plays when they needed to. That is a very good football team. They put a lot of pressure on us. We just came up a little bit short. I think we had a couple of missed ...
Izenberg: Giants can credit this Super Bowl crown to their defenseThe Star-Ledger - NJ.com
Quarterbacks get too much credit for Super Bowl winsWashington Observer Reporter
Have We Given the Patriots Offensive Line Enough Credit?WEEI.com
Predominantly Orange -WWL -San Jose Mercury News (blog)
all 16,970 news articles »


TEXT-S&P says European real estate should weather downside credit risks
Reuters
"We think that our macroeconomic forecast of a mild recession for the first half of the year will have a moderate effect on the operating performance of our rated Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) portfolio," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst ...

and more »


Banks and Credit Unions: Making the Choice
LoanSafe
He's one of hundreds of thousands of people in recent months who are estimated to have acted on that ire to have made the switch from a bank to a credit union in the wake of November's Bank Transfer Day. But, until now, Fisher said he didn't realize he ...

and more »


Daily Beast

Donald Trump Takes Credit For Mitt Romney Romp In Nevada (VIDEO)
Huffington Post
Real estate mogul Donald Trump called into Fox News on Monday morning and matter-of-factly took credit for propelling Romney to a nearly 30-point victory in the Nevada caucuses over the weekend. "There was a lot riding on that particular race in Nevada ...
Trump says he deserves credit for Romney's decisive Nevada winThe Hill (blog)
Trump Takes Credit for Romney's Nevada WinMyFox Houston
Donald Trump Takes Credit for Mitt Romney's Nevada WinVillage Voice (blog)
Daily Beast -Comedy Central (blog)
all 39 news articles »


Credit card rates rise for rewards cards
Fox Business
Despite that, the rate on consumer rewards credit cards rose during the second half of January, pulling overall consumer credit card rates up as well. Even with the other categories remaining stable, when compared with the broader interest rate context ...
If you have any questions about rewards credit cards, please just fire away.USA TODAY (blog)

all 2 news articles »

Google News

Home | Site Map |
© 2007