Are you worried about your credit report?
Are you eager for your credit report to be “cleaned-up” so lenders and landlords will have a better opinion of your financial responsibility and creditworthiness?
Tempted by internet ads that promise an easy fix to the pecuniary pickle that you find yourself in?
If you think that describes you, then take care.
Because the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is advising that the only people who will ever offer to remove all the negative details from your credit report are scammers.
In a posting on its blog, the FTC describes how it has shut down the dodgy practices of a group of businesses which deceptively advertised its services as a credit repair operation on social media and websites.
The FTC has ordered Financial Education Services (FES) to cough up US $12 million, after allegedly running a pyramid scheme that sold credit repair services preying on consumers with low credit scores. The scheme lured them in with the false promise of an easy fix.
FES and its owners, operators and associated companies deceived the public by charging up-front for their service and making overinflated claims. Then, they recruited them to join a pyramid scheme selling the credit repair services to others.
The truth is that while accurate but negative information cannot be legally removed from a credit report, mistakes can be fixed.
As the FTC points out, legitimate credit repair companies can help investigate errors on your credit report, but they must provide a detailed contract upfront and are not allowed to charge you before it helps you.
It is also possible to fix errors yourself by getting a free credit report from the likes of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and disputing any mistakes you might see with the credit bureau.
Obviously, it is also sensible to keep paying your bills in a timely fashion and pay off debts if you want to improve your credit rating.
But remember: only scammers will say they can remove all negative information from your credit report.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.