It can be hard to keep your head above water when it comes to money. All you know is that you are in a tough spot and don't know how to get out of it or fix it. How do you know where to start looking for help? Is there an easy way to get out of the financial hole you dug? The best place to look is at yourself, not at the many scams that are out there today.
Every day, companies send you emails with quick fixes and miraculous claims that they can get rid of bad credit for sure. They give you a lot of ways to get around the law so that you can get new credit again. The best thing to do is to just throw that away. But if you think you've found a real company, there are a few things you should look out for.
If a company doesn't tell you everything you need to know about your legal rights or how you can do things for yourself for free, they are probably not being responsible. Someone who says you can't talk to a credit report company directly is not telling the truth. If someone asks you to pay up front for any kind of credit repair service, they are trying to scam you. If a company tries to get you to make up a name and apply for an Employer Identification Number instead of your Social Security number, make sure you like them because you will probably end up in jail with them.
The truth is that no one can take anything bad off of your credit report. You can dispute something on your credit report, but you can't have someone go into the computer system and delete it. The point is simple: you can do everything yourself that a credit repair service can do. The question then is whether you want to do it yourself or not.
If you have problems, like being turned down for insurance or a job, you are entitled to a free credit report. You must, however, ask for your credit report within 60 days of being turned down. You can get one free report a year if you are unemployed, on welfare, or think your identity has been stolen. Some companies, like Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, are required to fill this free request. If you want another copy of your credit report before 12 months are up, you will have to pay an extra $9.50.
To stay out of debt, you have to be careful and keep up with your payments. As an extra safety measure, some people hire a company to keep an eye on their credit reports for them. A company like Equifax will keep your records up to date and look for mistakes or signs of identity theft. There are more government resources that can help you figure out what you need to do to fix your credit. One site like this that is easy to use is http://www.ftc.gov. Even though fixing your credit on your own is better, it's better if you don't have to do it at all. You will only be able to do that if you don't let things slide.
