Paying Up Front for Credit Repair is Illegal

Paid credit repair companies often make extravagant claims. They promise everything from erasing every bad item from your credit reports to creating entirely new reports. None of this is legal, and it's usually not possible to do permanently even if they use illegal methods. You can even get in trouble legally and with the IRS if you go along with some of their methods for getting a new credit identity.

The worst part of unscrupulous credit repair companies who promise to fix bad credit for a price is that they often demand money up front. That's illegal, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Legitimate companies must repair your credit first, then bills you. Sure, companies that want up-front pay might give you a money-back guarantee, but promises are worthless when you try to get your money back and the company disappears. My $2.99 eBook tells you how to fix your own bad credit for free. There's no need to pay for credit repair and run the risk of dealing with a scammer. Buy the book for Kindle and do the job yourself. All you'll pay for his postage, and your credit repair will be done the proper, legal way.

Free Annual Credit Reports: Don't Be Fooled

Only one website, www.annualcreditreport.com, truly offers free credit reports with no catches or requirements. Other websites that offer free reports want to sell you something or sign you up for memberships. The real site is mandated by federal law, and the three credit bureaus have to give you free credit report copies through it without forcing you to sign up or order anything else.

How can you tell if you're at the right website? You should always use the URL www.annualcreditreport.com. If you accidentally visited another website, one big clue is that it will likely ask you for a credit card number and expiration date for the required order or trial membership. Your card will be billed for whatever the site made you buy, or you'll rack up monthly charges when the trial membership is over. The real free annual credit report website doesn't make you enter a credit card number because it's not selling you anything. It will make you verify your identity through your Social Security Number and verification questions.

My Kindle book on free credit repair tells more about ordering and using your free credit reports to fix bad credit. Repair your credit for free at least once a year by getting and checking your free credit reports and using them to dispute bad items.