Credit Repair

 

How Your Credit Is Scored

Credit Repair: Do-It-Yourself!

There are lots of scams out there. They claim to fix your credit for a few hundred dollars. Don't waste your money. Truth is, legitimate credit repair services are either expensive (some are free) and take time. The other truth is that you can do it yourself.

The Warning Signs

Do yourself a favor and save some money, too. Don’t believe the following statements. Only time, a conscious effort, and a personal debt repayment plan will improve your credit report..

If you decide to respond to a credit repair offer, look for these tell-tale signs of a scam:

  • ·         companies that want you to pay for credit repair services before they provide any services.

  • ·         companies that do not tell you your legal rights and what you can do for yourself for free.

  • ·         companies that recommend that you not contact a credit reporting company directly.

  • ·         companies that suggest that you try to invent a “new” credit identity — and then, a new credit report — by applying for an Employer Identification Number to use instead of your Social Security number.

  • ·         companies that advise you to dispute all information in your credit report or take any action that seems illegal, like creating a new credit identity. If you follow illegal advice and commit fraud, you may be subject to prosecution.

Under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, credit repair companies cannot require you to pay until they have completed the services they have promised.

The Truth

No one can legally remove accurate and timely negative information from a credit report. The law allows you to ask for an investigation of information in your file that you dispute as inaccurate or incomplete. There is no charge for this. Everything a credit repair clinic can do for you legally, you can do for yourself at little or no cost. According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA):

·          You’re entitled to a free report if a company takes adverse action against you, like denying your application for credit, insurance, or employment, and you ask for your report within 60 days of receiving notice of the action. The notice will give you the name, address, and phone number of the consumer reporting company. You’re also entitled to one free report a year if you’re unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days; if you’re on welfare; or if your report is inaccurate because of fraud, including identity theft.

·          Each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — is required to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.

The three companies have set up a central website, a toll-free telephone number, and a mailing address through which you can order your free annual report.

·         To order, click on www.annualcreditreport.com , call 1-877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

·         You can print the form from ftc.gov/credit. Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually. They are providing free annual credit reports only through www.annualcreditreport.com, 1-877-322-8228.

        Annual Credit Report Request Service,
P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
You may order your reports from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies at the same time, or you can order your report from each of the companies one at a time. For more information, see Your Access to Free Credit Reports at ftc.gov/credit.


Otherwise, a consumer reporting company may charge you up to $9.50 for another copy of your report within a 12-month period.

·           You can dispute mistakes or outdated items for free. Under the FCRA, both the consumer reporting company and the information provider (that is, the person, company, or organization that provides information about you to a consumer reporting company) are responsible for correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. To take advantage of all your rights under this law, contact the consumer reporting company and the information provider.
Get started today.. Download a free demo of CREDIT AID software today. If you need any help with the software, call me direct. 408-370-2176.

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