Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Watch Out For Credit Repair Posers

By Sheldon Moylan of Dominion Lending Centres

The best way to repair your credit is to do it yourself. There are plenty of advertisements promising to solve your credit problems. In fact, many go so far to actually guarantee to legally fix bad credit reports. These ads are written to appeal to people whose credit desperately needs to be repaired. Often they are sucked in by authentic looking testimonials that are, more often than not, complete fabrications.

When you are really in need of credit repair, the first thing you want to do is to act immediately. You should remember that this action should be done by you and not anyone else. Luckily, there are several factors that can help you avoid scam credit repair services.

The Fraudulence

Vulnerable people who have a poor credit track record are targeted by many unscrupulous companies who promise them a magical solution to their problems. For a price, that is. They not only promise to tidy up your credit report but to also help qualify for loans and insurance. Instead of improving your financial circumstances these credit repair scams can do you real harm. Such businesses regularly vanish into thin air.

The Signs of a Scam

If you had responded to a credit repair service, there are warning signs that can help you determine an authentic credit repair offer from a fraud. Firstly, be aware of companies that wish for you to pay the cost of the repair before providing any services. In addition, avoid those companies that do not divulge any possible legal rights you are entitled to and what processes you can do yourself without payment.

There are companies that advise consumers to directly contact a credit reporting agency - you should avoid such companies. More so, if the company you have responded to suggests that you to create a new credit identity and then make a new credit report by applying for an Employer Identification Number to use rather than you SIN, you should immediately stop contacting that company.

Lastly, those that advise you to argue all information included within your credit report or take actions that may seem illegal, i.e. generating a new credit identity, should be avoided.

It is important to understand that if you supply false information when applying for credit by phone or mail, you can be prosecuted for wire or mail fraud. Under Canadian law, lying on your application for credit, lying about your SIN or fraudulently applying for a new SIN from Revenue Canada are all federal crimes. Under the Credit Repair Organization Act, credit repair companies are prohibited from requesting payment from consumers before they have fully delivered on all promised services. In other words, any credit repair company requesting upfront payments is in breach of the law.

Most importantly, you should remember that included within the Credit Repair Organization Act is the rule that credit repair companies should not require you to pay until the services they have promised are complete.

The best possible way to avoid poor credit history, and totally keep you safe from fraudulent credit repair services, is to do a periodic credit report review. Reviewing your credit report is important because the information in your report affects your chances of getting an insurance or loan. Make sure that the information is correct, complete and regularly updated before applying for a loan. Lastly, by doing periodic check-up on your credit report, you can be safe from identity theft, which can create a major problem not only in your credit report.

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