The first thing that needs to be addressed when you want legal and effective credit repair services is the affiliations of the organization you chose for this purpose. All established and reputable agencies will willingly share with you their references on request. Here are some pointers to keep in mind to protect yourself from scam credit repair companies.
1. The agency you’re considering should have membership in the Ethical Credit Repair Alliance (ECRA) or a similar regulatory organization. It is commonly advised to do business with those companies who are members of the Better Business Bureau. When you’re seaching good credit repair organizations, the companies who are ECRA members are an excellent choice.
This organization holds its members to a code of professional ethics, and member organizations are a good choice when looking for quality services. The members of this organization are required to maintain the highest ethical standards in dealing with their clients. This serves as protection against being “taken” by a crooked agency.
2. Before looking for help, educate yourself as to what credit repair is all about. The majority of people who get scammed when seeking credit help, have no knowledge of credit repair and what it entails. You need to learn what these services can do for you and what they cannot do.
Only when you know clearly this difference, will you be able to identify those companies who offer you false promises. For example, no one can remove negative remarks entered on your credit report if these can be verified. There will always be credit companies who promise you clear credit in the space of a month or sooner. Think carefully; is this legally possible? If not – and it clearly is not – would you still be willing to use illegal means?
3. Do not respond to e-mail offers if you did not request the information. Don’t think that fate has sent you this offer in your time of need. These are scammers you get e-mail addresses using unethical means, then blast spam to millions looking to ensnare another victim they can cheat out of their money!
Beware of such emails. In 99.9 percent of the time these are scammers hoping to ensnare their next victim. Proper credit repair companies will send their offers through newsletters or emails only after you have opted in to receive them.
4. It is illegal to create a “new identity”.” This is one huge fallacy that many people choose to believe, mainly because it would seem to solve all their problems. This belief is once again mainly because people do not understand what credit repair is all about. However, this practice – called “File segregation” – is illegal!
Your credit score is a reflection of your entire financial history up to the present time. How can you get a second and “new” such history? And if you do, would you not have some questions about legality? Isn’t it very clear that companies offering these kinds of solutions are not to be trusted?
5. If total payment is asked for before any services have been rendered, this is a warning sign.” According to Federal Law, you need to have a detailed written contract from the agency beforehand and the payment is to be after services have been completed. In addition you have the right to cancel within three days.
Some companies may charge an upfront fee for credit report analysis or a consultation, and then charge additional monthly fees as they follow up with the credit bureaus on a continuing basis. But if a company demands their entire fee be paid in advance, they are likely doing so because they realize you will not be inclined to pay later when you discover that they cannot deliver on their promises. These agencies are corrupt and you must steer clear of them!
6. The process of credit repair is time-consuming. As discussed before, a credit company cannot repair your credit overnight by any legal means, nor remove anything in your credit history if it is verified by the credit bureaus.
Best case scenario: it will take about two, maybe three months to solve the less serious issues, by having inaccurate information deleted from your credit report, and by changing your financial habits by consistently paying bills and debts in a timely manner. More significant items ( for example, repossessions, foreclosures etc.) well, even given the very best financial management, remain on the report for seven years. Bankruptcies will stay on the report for 10 years. “Guarantees” that these can be removed overnight indicate fraud.
7. No contract, no pay! A lot of people could avoid being defrauded if they were to insist that there be a contract in writing; and you have this right by law. Fraudulent companies prefer there to be no contract, and if there is one you can expect that information (such as the fees etc.) will be incomplete. You will be able to understand the nature of these companies by the contract they offer you. If for some reason a contract is not presented, continue your search for a reputable company.
8. If anything is guaranteed, beware! Even the most experienced credit repair company cannot guarantee results in this business. They can assure you – after they study your report – that they will work diligently and use every possible means to improve your credit, provided those means are legal. But in the business of credit repair results can never be guaranteed.
Unfortunately, it’s the nature of people to be attracted to the company that tells them what they prefer to hear, and hire them rather than a company who is being truthful. Do not fall into this trap! Even though you may prefer to be told that positive results are guaranteed, any company that does guarantee such results is not trustworthy.
9. Look for counseling services. A good many credit agencies provide counseling for free.
If the agency you’re considering doesn’t, dig a bit deeper. It might not be a trustworthy agency. A good and trustworthy company will encourage its clients to become knowledgeable about credit repair. The services they offer are regarding those issues that require continued and painstaking follow-up to make sure the mistakes on your credit report have all been removed.
10. Wrong advice is a red flag! There are companies who will advise you to dispute all the negative entries on your credit report claiming “this is not my account.” Although the results may be a higher credit score right now, the creditor whose loan had been disputed may counter it at a later date, and the bureau will subsequently investigate and verify it.
Considering that the credit bureaus do such a terrible job of keeping accurate records, the odds are great that there are going to be mistakes concerning the details of any one trade line. But if a credit agency tells you to proclaim “this account is not mine” even though you know that it is, do not trust that agency.
As you can see, there are enough red flags along the way to warn against possible fraud. Prior to seeking help from a credit repair company, you should educate yourself in matters pertaining to credit, including learning the meaning of the terms “credit report” and “credit score”. You should also know something about the laws that relate to credit repair before seeking help. A good beginning is to visit the web sites of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection and the Ethical Credit Repair Alliance.
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