Beware
of companies that ask for a 'credit repair' fee
The
Federal Trade Commission says you should watch out
for companies that claim they can repair your credit
rating. The fact is, you can do the same thing these
companies claim to do, maybe even better!
You
should especially watch out for anyone claiming
they can set up a new identity and credit file for
you. This is fraud, according to the FTC.
Here
are some warning signs that the FTC and others say
consumers should look out for to determine if they
might be dealing with a credit clinic: *
*An
organization that guarantees to remove late payments,
bankruptcies, or similar information from a credit
report
*
An organization that charges a lot of money to repair
credit
*A
company that asks the consumer to write to the credit
reporting company and repeatedly seek verification
of the same credit account information in the file,
month after month, even though the information has
been determined to be correct
*
An organization that is reluctant to give out their
address or one that pushes you to make a decision
immediately For a helpful brochure about credit
clinics, you can write to the Federal Trade Commission,
Sixth and Pennsylvania Avenues, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20004 and request a brochure titled "Credit
Repair: Self Help May Be Best."
After
you've checked your credit report here at handycreditreport.com,
don't forget to come back to the above link if your
score is lower than you'd hoped. And remember, although
many advertisers claim they offer free services,
nothing is really free. Beware of all agencies that
claim to repair credit or otherwise alter your score
for a fee.
All About "Phishing"
Phishing is a scam where Internet fraudsters send
spam or pop-up messages to lure personal and financial
information from unsuspecting victims.
To avoid getting hooked:
* Don't reply to email or pop-up messages that ask
for personal or financial information, and don't click
on links in the message. Don't cut and paste a link
from the message into your Web browser — phishers
can make links look like they go one place, but that
actually send you to a different site.
* Some scammers send an email that appears to be
from a legitimate business and ask you to call a phone
number to update your account or access a "refund."
Because they use Voice over Internet Protocol technology,
the area code you call does not reflect where the
scammers really are. If you need to reach an organization
you do business with, call the number on your financial
statements or on the back of your credit card.
* Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well
as a firewall, and update them all regularly. * Don't
email personal or financial information.
* Review credit card and bank account statements
as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized
charges.
* Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading
any files from emails you receive, regardless of who
sent them.
* Forward phishing emails to spam@uce.gov – and to
the company, bank, or organization impersonated in
the phishing email. You also may report phishing email
to reportphishing@antiphishing.org. The Anti-Phishing
Working Group, a consortium of ISPs, security vendors,
financial institutions and law enforcement agencies,
uses these reports to fight phishing.
* If you've been scammed, visit the Federal Trade
Commission's Identity Theft website at ftc.gov/idtheft.
