Be wary of all of the credit scams that are out there today. The Federal Trade Commission suggests managing your own credit as apposed to turning to someone else to handle it for you.
If you were to type in the words “credit repair” in any major search engine on the internet you had better prepare yourself to be bombarded by companies who claim they can increase your credit score for a fee. On Google alone there comes up with 7,580,000 results for credit repair. Although according to an article published on the Federal Trade Commission’s website the best way for someone to repair their credit and improve their credit rating is to simply do it themselves.
Unfortunately many consumers are being misinformed about the best way to go about receiving their credit reports. It appears that almost all companies that offer people access to their credit reports require you to sign up or pay for their services before you can view you credit reports. Because of all of the advertising and marketing that these companies put into the mainstream media most consumers sign right up without taking the time to learn their rights that were created by The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Certain laws were created to protect consumers by giving them the rights to be able to see the information being reported about their credit by the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. By spending some time researching these laws and how the credit bureaus work you could teach yourself how to view, and repair your credit reports. Or if you can’t find the time to look into this information yourself you might consider purchasing a “how to” or “do it yourself” credit manual that can walk you through the steps of learning to manage your own credit.
These credit guides offer proven methods that consumers can use to improve their credit like correcting inaccurate information being reported on your credit reports and negotiation with collection agencies to remove negative items showing on your credit. Not to mention the amount of money you will save if you are currently enrolled in a credit monitoring or repair service. These kinds of services usually go for at least $20 a month giving you a possible savings of $240 a year by doing it yourself.
By learning how to manage your own credit you will also help to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft. Identity theft is currently one of the fastest growing crimes across the world and anyone who is not aware of what is being reported on their credit reports is more at risk to having their identity stolen. Some credit guides will also give you tips on what to look out for when monitoring your credit reports. A website that is increasing in popularity is www.diycreditguide.com where you can learn how to obtain one of these step by step guides.
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