Repair Your Credit Schemes

Major credit bureaus offer services that let you check your credit file. Under some programs, you get a copy of your credit file as often as you want for $30-$50 per year and receive notification every time a creditor receives a copy of your file.

Federal law already lets you see your credit file as often as you want and at least one time each year you get a copy of your report free. You may have to pay $10 or $15 each additional time, but few people need to see their file more than once a year. Being notified whenever a creditor receives a copy of your file normally tells you something you already know—after all, it’s your credit, insurance, employment or housing application that triggers a credit request. In the meantime, many services sell the information to direct marketers, who clog your mailbox and call you during the most inconvenient times.

Some companies claim they can fix your credit, qualify you for a loan or get you a credit card. But even legitimate companies can’t do anything for you that you can’t do yourself. What they will do, however, is charge you between $250 and $2,000. A few credit repair companies have resorted to illegal practices—breaking into credit bureau computers to change a bad credit file, or stealing credit files or Social Security numbers and substituting them for the files of people with poor credit histories. You are better off avoiding them!

Your thoughts on this subject? Your comments appreciated!

Content © Rich Brott, 2011

 email to a friend