Posts

Identity Theft? Take a Deep Breath & Follow These Steps

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Many people assume that they never have to worry about identity theft.

They assume people only want to steal the identities of those with great credit scores or bank accounts.

But here’s the truth…

In 2017, nearly 17 million people had their identity stolen. 

Many of them were just average Americans who worked regular jobs and weren’t bringing in high amounts of money.

Naturally, they never expected that they would be a victim of identity theft.

 

How Does Someone Pull Off Identity Theft?

There are quite a few ways that a person can pull off identity theft. Some simply jot down people’s personal information at the business where they work.

Some people take mail that was wrongfully delivered to them and use it to create false accounts in other people’s names.

There are even times when friends and family members will steal your identity to purchase something that they want or get utilities turned on in your name.

When you fall prey to identity theft, you need to act quickly to minimize the consequences.

These are the steps you should take…

 

Step One: Contact Your Bank and Creditors Right Away

The first thing you need to do when you notice you’ve been a victim of identity theft is contact your bank and your creditors right away.

You need to let them know what has happened, find out if any charges or accounts have been opened in your name that you aren’t aware of.

You also need to know if anyone has contacted your bank on your behalf.

Instruct your bank to put a hold on all of your accounts so that no account transactions go through.

Also, ensure that nothing can be charged to your credit cards by ordering a replacement as soon as possible.

The sooner your bank or credit card company aware of the situation – the more damage you prevent from happening.

 

Step Two: Check Your Credit Reports

Credit reports will have documentation of any new accounts that have been opened. You can go online to visit the Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion websites to get a copy.

Remember that the law states you are eligible to pull one free copy of your credit report annually.

If you already got a copy of your report once this year, you may have to pay a fee to get an updated copy.

Once you get your report you need to be able to look closely at everything that has been opened in your name.

You also want to make sure that there are no outstanding debts or loans that you don’t know about.

Each of the reports from the three credit bureaus will contain unique information so that’s why you need to get a copy of all three of them.

Check your reports again after 30 days, because it takes credit bureaus time to update your information after they are opened.

When it comes to identity theft, you don’t want to leave any stone unturned.

 

Step Three: Sign Up for Credit Monitoring

Experian and TransUnion offer you the ability to sign up for credit monitoring.

This allows you to be alerted of new credit inquiries, accounts, or debts.

You may have to pay a small fee for the services, but it will be well worth the cost if it allows you to prevent your credit from being ruined.

Websites like Credit Karma and Credit Sesame have free credit monitoring services that are a great help.

 

Step Four: Go to the Police

Once you have evidence of the identity theft through your credit reports or other information collected in the process of your investigation, file a police report.

And remember…

Even if you have an idea of who may have stolen your identity it is best to avoid any confrontation – which could be potentially dangerous.

The police are there to help.

The police will create a report that details why you believe you have been a victim of identity theft, what proof you have, and an investigation will be opened to try to determine what is really going on with your identity.

Never underestimate the seriousness of identity theft.

It doesn’t stop at opening accounts in your name.

Those who participate in identity theft can get into legal trouble, claim to be you and then you will be responsible for proving you did not do whatever crime they committed.

Reporting the situation to the police provides you with important paperwork that you can give to your creditors.

It also ensures that if anyone gets in trouble using your name there will be proof of the identity theft which could keep you from being held liable for the other person’s decisions.

 

Step Five: File a Fraud Alert with the Credit Bureaus

Once you have the police report, you need to contact the credit bureaus directly and provide them with the proof that your identity was stolen.

They will be able to open up an investigation and work with the police to ensure that any questionable activity is properly documented.

This can also ensure that you aren’t held liable for the charges or delinquencies the person creates while they are using your identity. This can save you a lot of irritation and money in the end.

 

Step Six: Fax Identity Theft Reports to Your Creditors

Last but not least, it is important to provide your creditors with proof that your identity was stolen.

Fax a copy of the police report to each of your creditors and advise them to issue out replacement cards, or put your account on hold temporarily.

It’s also a good idea to contact local utility companies and let them know about the situation. They can flag your name in their computer system so no new accounts can be opened in your name.

You also may want to tell your friends and family what happened and that you went to the police. If someone is guilty of stealing your identity, they may fess up to the crime if they think they could be facing serious punishment for it.

 

Sources

[1] Facts + Statistics: Identity theft and cybercrime | III. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-identity-theft-and-cybercrime

[2] Identity Theft | USAGov. (2019, February 14). Retrieved from https://www.usa.gov/identity-theft

credit repair and how fare to go

/0 Comments/in /by

credit repair is often different from one person to another but still there are common methods of getting it done. For example; on your credit report there are more than likely errors that need to be reported to the credit bureaus, these can hugely affect your credit and the powers that be want to know of the error so that you have a credit report that better represents you. But that then brings me to my next credit repair point, its in your best interest to report anything that looks negative as an error… there are so many moving parts on a persons credit report that little edits like this could mean the difference in getting that new car you need to get to work with. See most people in todays economy dont want to “not” pay their bills on time or at all, its people are out of work or cant get to the work they can get.

when i went through my little unemployment experience, it nearly destroyed me and i know it destroyed my credit… but more importantly i knew i owed these people money, i just had no options, i sold anything i had of value… eating cup-o-noodles… the whole 9 yards, i really wanted to pay these people and it really took me digging deep and getting two jobs to get out of it. Take care of your credit, any way you can, you never know when you’ll need it again. Trust me credit repair.

Tips to Credit Repair

/0 Comments/in /by

A credit report is probably the most detailed profile that can exist on someone with the exception of maybe a police report. They are used now a days for just about everything, want to move into an apartment, well there is a credit check normally involved. For the people who do not have good credit for whatever reason are much more likely to encounter troubles when it comes to simple things that people with good credit take for granted. Fortunately for those people credit repair is now a possibility, through the three different reporting bureaus you can get all the information on yourself required. Take a look at all the statements, and remember when engaging in credit repair it is extremely important to document everything that you have done and come across within the reports. One simple thing that you can always do to repair credit is to not allow companies or organizations to pull your credit report, unless it is absolutely necessary. Once a company has pulled that information they are making a determination of something based off very detailed financial information. The other major thing in credit repair is to remember to dispute anything on your report that is questionable to you, this can be accomplish often times online and is not very difficult, however documentation is key. Getting a credit card with a low limit and simply making a payment no matter how small is also very important in credit repair. Although simple tips these will help in the future and allow you to perform credit repair as well as credit protection.

 

Spiritual Credit Repair

/0 Comments/in /by

Peter Popoff often times seen preaching on television is now singing a new tune. His new tune is supernatural credit repair and debt relief. Essentially it is all a con, the person is using a religious front as a way to promote something for himself. This is downright a scam and it is sad that someone drops down to the level of using religion to scam someone out of money. Exactly how the scam has been working is still unclear, however Popoff is preaching credit repair through the bible, which as most people know there is no book of credit repair after revelations. People should always look at things like this and remember that if it seems too good to be true it probably is, going to church does not give you credit repair or any other form of debt relief. Always keep a watchful eye out for things that try to take advantage of something that a person is naturally inclined to, and if it is tied in with something like religion be extra weary. Business and religion often times don’t mix, and therefore to see credit repair as part of a spiritual ceremony is absolutely absurd. Watch for potentially more of these springing up in the future, especially if the economy stays down like it has the past few years. You know it is brutal when people are preaching debt relief and credit repair as a televangelist. Always be weary of what is going on when it comes to potential credit repair scams.

Interested in a Credit Repair Contest

/0 Comments/in /by

There is a first in the financial world, and that is a credit repair contest. One of the national credit organization is allowing people to take part in a contest to repair credit. The national credit organization is performing this contest to allow people who are the lucky winners to get free credit repair, which is valued at over $500. The costs associated with bad credit can haunt someone for a very long time, banks will avoid you like you are a felon, bad credit can even keep you from getting a job. Credit repair has become more and more common, and now people are even having more and more access and ability to either hire a credit repair professional or even do it themselves. This service is becoming more and more important for people to keep track of their credit and perform credit repair when necessary. With the access for people who want to run a credit check on someone it is now more important than ever, as credit checks are used for just about everything now a days. To enter this credit repair contest it is simple log onto facebook and go onto the National Credit Organization’s page and answer one simple question. This credit repair contest is simple as that, remember to stay on top of your credit. It is much easier to fall out of grace with credit companies than it is to perform credit repair, take advantage of this one time opportunity.

Credit Repair How To:

/0 Comments/in /by

There are many ways to go about trying to repair your credit, however some are more efficient than others. Credit repair can be done by yourself by simply contacting the reporting bureau and disputing certain things that appear on your records. This although sounding simple is much more complex than it appears to be, it is not simply dispute and forget when credit repair is the key. Credit repair is a full time job, and if you are in doubt if you have the time to take care of it yourself than hiring a professional may be your best bet, however for those out there still interested in doing this long and tedious task themselves here’s how to go about it. The tediousness of credit repair comes directly from working with the credit reporters, as often times when you dispute something on your credit statement they can find verification for something even though it is not an accurate report in the first place. This is where your rights under the fair credit reporting act should be invoked, as you will need to get dirty tracking down information from the source, be very careful throughout the process in documentation. Credit repair is difficult but not impossible, remember to get verification for everything as well as documenting every bit of information that is available to you. These simple facts can give you a jump start on your credit repair, now all you have to do is go out there and start it.

 

Credit Repair and Foreclosure Company in Hot Water in N.C.

/0 Comments/in /by

The attorney general of North Carolina has issues a formal complaint against one of the loan modification and credit repair companies. The company has been charging people advanced fees for services that often times would not be handled properly resulting in the foreclosure and loss of someone’s home. This company specifically Eddie Long had advertised himself as an experienced credit repair professional. The information he provided was often times simply falsified, and none of the things that he claimed he could do for people simply were not true. The complaint doesn’t come from the specific inability for him to not be able to get things done, the complaint comes from unsettling business practices. Eddie Long had been charging in advanced for his credit repair and foreclosure avoidance assistance, which in the state of North Carolina is illegal. The other major deal was that for the people he failed to follow through on in either the credit repair or the foreclosure that asked for a refund he simply ignored. Eddie Long has taken advantage of people who need one of the most important services offered in the financial community, credit repair, and is rightfully barred from engaging in business through his company in North Carolina. The eventual goal of the attorney general is to completely shut down the credit repair company for not only false advertisement, but for failure to return money for services. The company deserves to go under, the violation of fair business especially in the credit repair industry is absolutely intolerable.

 

Santa Ana Credit Repair Firm Lawsuit!

/0 Comments/in /by

A credit repair company based in Santa Ana has been charged by Federal Regulators on Wednesday for biking ten million dollars. It has been charged that this credit repair company has pushed those people into more problems that were desperately looking for a solution for their debt problems.

Federal Trade Commission has forced a lawsuit while accusing the National Consumer Council of Deceptive Claims. The practices from this agency offer real worries for so many people. FTC has also charged that the council has violated the Do Not Call rule implemented by Government registry. Due to such a reason more than 1,000 complaints have been registered. People who have put their phone details on this list have given complaints about it. They have also charged that calls from the telemarketers have offered them lots of problems.

This has been marked as the first law force implemented by FTC. It has taken such step due to an alleged violation of the law. Unwanted telemarketing calls have really disturbed people’s life.  Due to the lawsuit, the agency has confirmed that council has billed things wrongly as far as its services are concerned. It has also announced itself as a nonprofit organization and propelled pushed people into a possible scam when they have enrolled themselves with its debt settlement programs. This company has negotiated to offer a onetime fee with the customers. Credit repair.

 

Credit Repair Companies are Under Investigation!

/0 Comments/in /by

The Federal Trade Commission have mentioned about a nationwide crackdown on credit repair companies. It has also mentioned that thirty companies were being targeted including a Los Angeles company that had its assets frozen. Success Credit Service was charged in an FTC civil suit for infringing the Credit Repair Organizations act by declaring it could rapidly clean up credit reports by eliminating lawful negative items including late payments, tax liens and bankruptcies. The worldwide company Tracy Ballard-Straughn has been charged of illegally collecting thousands of dollars of up-front fees and then doing little or nothing in return. U.S. District Court in Los Angeles has permitted a provisional retaining order for the company and Ballard-Straughn.

The FTC has said that there 6 other credit repair companies that are under investigation and No action has been taken against them yet. However, the Assistant Attorney General said that the state will bring some charges for these alleged companies apart from the FTC action. Shelden has said that they had more complaints and inquiries about credit repair services. He also suggests that banking crisis was probably the foremost reason that has driven more consumers towards credit repair. He also said that people are having hard times to get a lift for their credit scores due to the economic crisis.

 

Credit Repair, Improve your Credit Score!

/0 Comments/in /by

Credit repair: Different credit bureaus use to analyze your Fico OR Beacon Score in a slight different manner. Each and every credit bureau uses to produce own scores and provides it in a different name.

  • Equifax calls the score a Beacon Score
  • Transunion calls it an Empirica Score
  • Experian calls it a Fair Isaac Score

Your score will change every time that something changes on your own bureau. Though there are several details required to calculate your score but no formula has been yet disclosed to the public. Lenders will look at your credit score and income when determining interest rates. Credit repair.

There are several things you need to consider to improve your credit score. Some of the factors are discussed below:

  • Pay your bills on time. Though it is sounding very simple but still it is the most effective way to keep your score high. Delinquent payments can have a negative impact on your credit score, so just avoid it.
  • Keep your balance low as high balance can affect a score
  • In calculating your score the amount of unused credit plays an important role, so apply for credits that you need.
  • Always ensure that information on your credit report is accurate otherwise dispute it with the lender or Bureau Company directly.