Get Your Credit Repaired

Annual Credit Report

November 10th, 2007

I’ve had several people asking me about the free credit report.
You are entitled to 1 free credit report per year from each of the
three main credit reporting agencies.

Equifax
Experian
Transunion

You could go to each of their websites and get it there but,
even though the link to the free report site is in plain view,
it’s hard to see with all the other graphics. Do you think they
did that on purpose?

I had a couple of people call me and said that they were asking for
credit card numbers and other information. I had to expain that
they were at the wrong location.

This is where you want to go: http://annualcreditreport.com

Remember, you get 1 report per year from each of the credit reporting
agencies. To get 3 free reports per year do this;

There, now you have three reports a year. All free.

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Credit Card Debt

August 23rd, 2007

Credit cards are no longer a luxury, they are a necessity. So, you would think a lot of people getting credit cards. In fact, a lot of people have more than one credit card. So, the credit card industry is growing by leaps and bounds. However, the credit card industry and credit card holders have a big problem called ‘Credit Card Debt’. In order to understand what ‘credit card debt’ actually means, we need to understand the work flow associated with the use of credit cards as such.

Credit cards, as the name suggests, are cards on which you can get credit. Borrow against your credit limit. (your credit card debt). Your credit card is a representative of the credit account that you hold with the credit card company. Whatever payments you make using your credit card are actually your borrowings that contribute towards your credit card debt. Your total credit card debt is the total amount you owe credit card company. So, you receive a monthly statement or your credit card bill which shows your total credit card debt.

You must a minimum payment by the payment due date. Failing to do so will cause you to incur late fees and interest charges. You should pay off your credit card debt on a monthly basis. If you don’t pay off your credit card debt in full, the interest charges get added to it. So your credit card debt keeps increasing, more so because the interest rates on credit card debt are generally higher than the interest rates on other kind of loans.

The interest charges add on to your credit card debt each month to form the new balance or the new credit card debt amount. If you continue making partial payments (or no payments) the interest charges are calculated afresh on the new credit card debt. So you end up paying interest on the last month’s interest too. Thus your credit card debt accumulates rapidly and soon you find that what was once a relatively small credit card debt has ballooned into a big amount which you find almost impossible to pay. If you don’t control your spending habits, your credit card debt rises even faster. This is how the vicious circle of credit card debt works..

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Credit Card Debt

August 23rd, 2007

Credit cards are no longer a luxury, they are a necessity.

More here.

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Identity Theft (Part 3)

August 10th, 2007

OK, you took all the right precautions and still your identity was stolen. What do you do?
Read this to find out.

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Identity Theft (Part 3)

August 10th, 2007

OK, you took all the right precautions and still your identity was stolen. What do you do?

Contact the FTC and file a complaint.
Close accounts that you know or believe to have been used by fraudulent means.
Contact the major check verification companies if your checks were stolen or if someone has setup a bank account with you identity.
Contact your local Office of Postal Inspection Service if you suspect that someone has submitted a change of address form.
Contact the Social Security Adminisration if you supsect that your social security number is being used fraudulently.
Contact the IRS if you suspect your information is being used for tax violations.
Contact the major credit reporting agencies and place a fraud alert on your credit report
File a report with the police. Ask for a copy of the police report. Some police departments don’t allow this.

Contacting the FTC

You can contact the FTC by calling (877)idtheft.(877.438.4338) or goto http://consumer.gov/idtheft

Check Verification Companies

Use this only if you have checks stolen or someone has openned a bank account with your identity.

CheckRite - 800.766.2748
ChexSystems - 800.428.9623
CrossCheck - 800.552.1900
Equifax - 800.437.5120
National Processing Company (NPC) - 800.526.5380
Telecheck - 800.710.9898

There are many others out there but, these are the main ones. For more, just search “check verification companies” in your favorite search engine.

You have permission to publish this article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter, ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if it remains unchanged and you include the copyright and author information (Resource Box) at the end. You may not use this article in any unsolicited commercial email (spam).

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Identity Theft (Part 2)

August 10th, 2007

Credit card and ID theft has grown tremendously in the last few years. Especially on the internet. Here I have listed a few things you can do to help you avoid ID theft.
More Here

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Your Credit And Theft (Part 2)

August 10th, 2007

Your Credit And Theft
(Part 2)

Credit card and ID theft has grown tremendously in the last few years. Especially on the internet. Here I have listed a few things you can do to help you avoid ID theft.

Things to do online

Only buy from sites that are well known and have safety features installed. In the address bar, it should have “https://” before the address. The “s” in https is telling you that it is a secure site. Example: (https://www.yoursite.com). Also, look in the bottom right corner of your browser. There should be a lock icon there. If it is a secure site, the lock will be locked. If not, it will be unlocked.
Before you buy, read the privacy and terms of use statements. There maybe some clause in them you may not like.
Example: “We reserve the right to share your information with third party companies.” Do you really want your information shared?
After your purchase, print your conformation screen. If your printer is not working or if you don’t have a printer, save it to your documents folder. You can then print it later.
Never put any vital information including, but not limited to, credit card numbers and driver license numbers in an email. They can be intercepted and read.

Things to do offline

If someone calls and says that you have won a prize or trip and they need some identification to confirm your identity. It is most probably bogus. Do not give them your credit card number, driver license or any other information. Just hang up.
Your credit card is not an ID card. Contrary to what most people believe, your social security card is not an ID card. Neither of these should be used as such. Only give these to people that need to know them.
Do not print your driver license number on your checks. If they are stolen, the thief has enough information to steal your identity.
Always make sure that a salesperson processes your transaction in your presence. When the salesperson returns your card to you, check to be sure it’s yours. Check the sales slip for blanks. Draw a line through any blanks.
Report stolen or lost checks or credit cards immediately.
Make copies of all your credit card numbers and the numbers to call if they are stolen or lost. Put them in a safe place. Your wallet is not a safe
place. If something happens to them you will have the information you need to get them cancelled.
Check your statements as soon as they arrive. Report any errors or suspicious charges immediately.
Shred your old statements. Never just throw them in the trash.
Whenever you get new credit cards, activate and sign them right away. Be sure to activate them as per their instructions.
Do NOT put your pin number on your credit card. It might surprise you to know how many people do this.
Destroy expired cards. Use scissors or better, use a shredder. There are shredders just for this purpose.

You have permission to publish this article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter, ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if it remains unchanged and you include the copyright and author information (Resource Box) at the end. You may not use this article in any unsolicited commercial email (spam).

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Identity Theft (Part 1)

July 5th, 2007

Guarding your personal information is vitally important in keeping your identity safe. Be vigilant in guarding your information. Use the techniques listed here to help you. As I’ve said before, there is no fool proof way of keeping your identity safe. You can only make it harder to steal. If you use the techniques in this 3 part article to keep an eye on your credit report, you can act quickly before too much damage is done.

What is identity theft? The term identity theft first appeared in the 1990’s. Identity is when someone poses as you using your identification. They can open credit accounts, buy or lease items, use your credit cards or commit a large number of crimes. Identity theft is a very traumatic experience for many people in the U.S.

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center about 10 million people a year are victims of identity theft. The rate of victims have increased 80% between 2002 and 2003. The lost is estimated to be 3.2 billion as the result of identity theft. There is an interesting report by Katrina Baum, Ph that you can read here.

The ITRC (Identity Theft Resource Center) sud-divides ID theft into 4 categories.

Financial ID theft - Using another’s name and SSN to obtain goods and services
ID cloning – Using another’s information to assume his or her identity.
Criminal ID theft – Poising another when arrested for a crime.
Business/Commercial ID theft – Using another’s business name to obtain credit.

There are several different ways for someone to steal your information.

Rummaging through trash. (Dumpster Diving)
Stealing mail.
Accessing your credit report by illegal means.
Eavesdropping on public transmissions.
Obtaining personal information from personnel records.
Watching when you are using an ATM or phone booth, trying to capture pin numbers.
Getting information from the Internet. ( Public record sites and fee based information brokers.)
Sending email that looks as if it was coming from your bank or credit card company. (Phishing)
Stealing personal information from computer databases. (Trojan horses, hacking)

One way that has surfaced since the Patriot Act, is for unscrupulous landlords to use credit reports to commit fraud. Slumlords are the biggest offenders. They use the right to request background checks to get information that is later used to commit crimes. This type of ID theft is created and enforced by Federal law. Someone had a very serious lapse of judgment when passing this law.

So, how do you defend yourself from ID theft? There is no foolproof way. The only thing you can do is make it harder for someone to steal your ID.
Some steps you can take:

Reduce the number of credit and debit cards you own.
Do not use debit cards when ordering online. ( They are harder to straighten out)
Sign your cards as soon as they arrive.
Do not loan your cards to anyone.
Do not sign a blank receipt.
Do not write your account number on the outside of an envelope.
Do not give out your account number over the phone, unless you instigated the call and you know who you are dealing with.
Do not put your credit card number on your check. In may states, it is unlawful to do this.
Do not have your SSN or drivers license number printed on your checks.
Do not let merchants handwrite your SSN onto your checks.
Do not carry your SSN card unless you are required to have it.
Do not throw pre-approved credit or insurance offers in the trash. Shred them.
Keep a record of all your accounts in a secure place.
Save receipts and compare them to your bills.
Void incorrect receipts.
Report questionable charges in writing promptly to the card issuer.
When using your card in a store or restaurant, keep a close eye on how your card is handled.
Always take credit card receipts with you. Never throw them into a public trash can.
When creating passwords and pins, don’t use any part of your SSN or drivers license number, birth dates, pet’s names or anything else that easy to guess. Passwords with letters and numbers are harder to break. Better passwords contain capital and small letters along with numbers. Example: B6hr8L
Memorize passwords and pins.
Give your SSN only to those that absolutely need it. ( tax forms, employment records, banking and property transactions)
Check your Social Security Personal Earnings and Benefits Estimate statement each year.
Install a firewall and virus protection on your computer at home.
Password protect files that contain personal information,
Never respond to emails that appear to come from your bank, ebay, paypal, or your credit card company that asks you to go to a website to confirm your information. (This is a site that asks you for information like your SSN, date of birth and so on.) Legitimate business never do this. Visit antiphising.org for more information.
File sharing and file swapping software exposes your computer to hackers. If you use them, install a strong firewall and virus protection programs.
Install a locked mail box at your house.
Pickup new checks at the bank. Do not have them mailed to you.
Use automated billing where possible.
Pay bills online where automatic billing is not possible.
Check your credit report often.

You have permission to publish this article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter, ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if it remains unchanged and you include the copyright and author information (Resource Box) at the end. You may not use this article in any unsolicited commercial email (spam).

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Identity Theft (Part 1)

July 5th, 2007

What is identity theft? About 10 million people a year are victims of identity theft. Can you protect yourself?
Read more.

Posted in Identity Theft | 5 Comments »

Debt Management Plans

April 10th, 2007

IF you were to find yourself in financial trouble you could enroll in a debt management plan (DMP) through a credit counseling organization. There are nonprofit and fee based organizations.

Quality credit counseling organizations use certified and trained counselors. These counselors are trained in money, consumer, credit and debt management and budgeting. Many may claim that a debt management plan is the only way to go before they’ve checked your financial situation. Also, many don’t offer education and counseling.

The nonprofit organizations have a legal obligation to provide education and counseling. Not all counseling organizations offer these services. Some do not disclose all the fees involved or try to get you to make a voluntary contribution. There have been credit counseling organizations that claim to be nonprofit when they are not. Some have even received nonprofit status by misrepresenting their business practices to regulators.

A credit counseling organization works with you and your creditors. Sometimes they are able to get your creditors to waive certain fees and/or lower your interest rate. In a debt management plan you deposit money with a creditcounseling organization. These organizations then uses this money to pay your medical and credit card bills and other unsecured debts.

You may not need to enroll into a DMP. Your credit counselor may be able to work with you and set a plan of action. Below is a list of questions to ask if you decide to use a credit counseling organization.

Are you licensed in my state?
Do you offer free information?
What services do you offer?
What are the qualifications of your counselors?
What are your fees?
How do you keep personal information about your clients secure and confidential?
How are your employees paid?
Will I have a formal written agreement?

Avoid organizations that has not fulfilled the requirements of your state and that charge for information about their services. You want an organization that offers services such as; budget counseling, savings and debt management classes. You want counselors that are trained and certified in consumer credit, money and debt management and budgeting. The counselors should be trained and certified by an outside organization. Get detailed information on all fees involved. Credit counselors handle you most sensitive information, you want to be sure it is protected. Do not use a credit counseling organization that will not disclose what compensation it receives. Get everything in writing and the terms carefully before signing or committing to anything. Some will try to get you to commit right away. If they do hangup if
you are on the phone or walk out if you are at their office.

Once you decide and get your plan set be sure to check with your creditors. You will want to make sure that they have agreed to the plan. Do this before sending money to the credit counseling organization.

Once your creditors have agreed to the plan, make sure you;

make all payments on time.
read your statements every month to make sure that your creditors are being paid.
contact your counselor if you can not make a payment.
contact your counselor if you see that your creditors are not being paid.

Remember one thing, it doesn’t matter whether fail to make a payment or your credit counseling organization fails to make a payment, you could loss everything that you have gained so far. Lower interest rates, waived fees, everything.

If your credit counseling organization happens to go out of business you need to do these right away;

Stop payment to the credit counseling organization if you are using automatic payments.
Start paying directly to your creditors.
Notify your creditors that the credit counseling organization has gone out of business.
Order a copy of your credit report.

At this stage you could consider negotiating with your creditors yourself. If you have lost your low interest rate or waived fees you might be able to get your creditors to reinstate them. Some may, some may not and some may not be able to. It never hurts to try. Of course, you could do all of this on your own but, if you don’t think you can, find a reputable credit counselor.

You have permission to publish this article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter, ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if it remains unchanged and you include the copyright and author information (Resource Box) at the end. You may not use this article in any unsolicited commercial email (spam).

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Get Your Credit Repaired

Helping you with your credit problems

Annual Credit Report

Credit Card Debt

Credit Card Debt

Identity Theft (Part 3)

Identity Theft (Part 3)

Identity Theft (Part 2)

Your Credit And Theft (Part 2)

Identity Theft (Part 1)

Identity Theft (Part 1)

Debt Management Plans

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