Protecting the Rights of Consumers For Over 25 Years

Beware of credit repair organizations.

A number of companies advertise that they can erase bad credit for upfront or monthly fees.

These promises are bogus. Information that is accurate and less than seven years old cannot be removed from a credit report.

The companies making these promises sometimes bombard credit bureaus with phony disputes. Sometimes the disputes purport to come from the consumer directly. These disputes may cause a “tradeline” to be deleted if the creditor does not respond promptly, but they will later reappear. Furthermore, a history of phony disputes may make it difficult to legitimately dispute inaccurate or obsolete information.

Occasionally they will suggest creating a new credit identity or applying for an Employer Identification Number to use instead of your Social Security number. This is illegal and can get you prosecuted criminally.

Many of these companies violate the Credit Repair Organizations Act, a federal law which makes it illegal to (1) have you pay for credit repair services before the services are completed, (2) fail to provide you with notice of your legal rights, or (3) engage in misleading or deceptive conduct for the purpose of improving your credit.