credit report - Bankruptcy Credit Repair - How To Avoid Scams

After bankruptcy, credit repair may be the first thing on your mind. While your eagerness and optimism are important as you start the process of bankruptcy credit repair, beware of those who will take advantage of people in your situation. You have probably seen advertisement of companies offering bankruptcy credit repair services. These companies offer quick and easy ways to clean your credit report; delete your bankruptcy record or create you a new identity. Before you get excited about these incredible offers, you should know the following: * You can repair your credit report on your own. Repairing your credit report means updating your information and making sure everything is accurate. You don't need to pay anyone to do this. All you have to do is to get a copy of your credit report from the 3 main credit-reporting companies. Then, if you find any error you can directly contact the credit-reporting agency involved to file your dispute. Within a certain period of time, any information that you claim to be an error will be removed if the agency fails to verify otherwise. * Bankruptcy will remain in your credit report for 10 years, if you filed for Chapter 7 or 7 years, if you filed for Chapter 13. Until the set period is over, there is nothing you or anyone can do to delete that information. * Creating a new identity to conceal your bankruptcy is against the law. Usually, bankruptcy credit repair scams like this involve applying for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) that you will use in your credit application instead of your social security number. These companies will proudly claim they are offering legitimate services but nothing can be farther from the truth. Providing false statements in a credit or loan application is a federal crime so is obtaining an EIN with fraudulent intent. Avoid bankruptcy credit repair scams with common sense. Check with the Better Business Bureau before you start doing business with any bankruptcy credit repair company. Never pay a company in advance for a service not yet rendered. The company should provide you a written contract and inform you of your legal rights. There are no quick fixes when it comes to bankruptcy credit repair. Some may need the help of a professional. Most often, you can do it by yourself with simple yet effective steps such paying bills promptly. Either way bankruptcy credit repair requires time and a steady commitment on your part. There are reputable financial institutions that are willing to help you restore your credit. Shop around, compare your options and be patient in your search. However, do not make the mistake of submitting your applications to all the credit card companies you are considering just to find out what their terms are. You can get information on the general terms of bankruptcy credit by simply inquiring with the different companies. Note that too many credit applications and credit checks will lower your credit score significantly. Dean Shainin offers online Bankruptcy and debt advice. For more information, articles, news, tools and valuable resources on bankruptcy and debt solutions, visit this site: Bankruptcy Loan Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dean_Shainin credit report - Credit Repair - Pulling Your Credit Report Online Pulling your credit report online can be the first step towards fixing less-than-perfect credit or for folks just checking to see if any erroneous information appears on their credit reports. The first step that will be required at the online credit report websites is to create a user profile and verify your identity. In order to verify your identity, you'll be required to answer some security questions. Some examples of the types of information they might ask for old addresses (they provide the street name, you'll be asked to supply the street address number and zip code), former employers (they'll furnish the dates you worked and you'll need to supply the employer's name). Another way they have to allow you to prove your identity is by entering account numbers for different accounts. They will pick the debts so try and have all of your bills/statements available just in case they ask for this type of information. IMPORTANT - You'll be required to create a login name and password for some of the credit agencies. It's very important that you save that login information. Many people fill it out and then lose it. You'll need to have this information each time you pull these free reports (which can be done once every year) so make certain that you keep it in a place you won't misplace it. You might want to consider paying for the option to obtain your credit score. You're getting a free credit report that does not affect you in a negative manner. It's worth thinking about if you can afford it. There are many places online that claim to give you a free credit report but most of these websites have hidden charges such as forcing you to join a monthly (paid) program or something similar. The best place to pull your free credit report is http://www.annualcreditreport.com. At this website you can pull the versions from all three credit reporting agencies for free. If you find information that is not correct, you might want to consider filing a dispute with the credit bureau reporting that incorrect information. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre03.shtm That is a direct link to a report from the FTC called "Building a Better Credit Report". It also has a sample letter you can use for the dispute process. Once you go over your credit report and find any inaccuracies, send your dispute letters out to the credit reporting agency that shows the inaccurate information. Here are the addresses to use for filing disputes for the three major credit reporting agencies: CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES EQUIFAX P.O. BOX 740241 ATLANTA, GA 30374 EXPERIAN P.O. BOX 2002 ALLEN, TX 75013 TRANSUNION P.O. BOX 1000 CHESTER, PA 19022