Bankruptcy vs debt consolidation, which one is right for your current debt problems?

If you are looking to repair your credit, there are a few things you need to know. It won’t happen overnight; no matter how many times people try to convince you otherwise with their services. If you have poor credit, then chances are you have been contacted by some group who makes huge promises about fixing your credit. These credit repair services are bad news, though. Here are five ways to tell if a scam credit repair service is trying to make you their victim.

An Advanced Results Guarantee

Any company that will make a ridiculous guarantee up front without looking at your individual situation is one that you should run away from. Simply put, these are the people who will tell you whatever it is that you want to hear and then run off with your money in the end. Though it may feel good to hear a credit repair service tell you good news, you can’t just fall for the first company that makes a big time promise. More times than not, this is a huge red flag for a company that is trying to rip you off.

Requires a Large Up-Front Payment

If a company asks you to pay them up front, then you should be very concerned about their validity. This is even truer for those scam credit repair services that want a large payment before they will even begin. It is not a happy thought, but there are people out there who are looking to pull the wool over your eyes. If they can do that under the veil of repairing credit, then they will hold no punches. Before you dedicate a large portion of your money to a scam credit repair service up front, you should consult other credit repair help options.

Changing your Identification Numbers

If a credit repair service comes to you and makes promises of improving your credit score by giving you’re a brand new identity, you should run far away. These companies will often try to tell you that they can help you by giving you a brand new social security number or a tax identification number. Not only will this not help repair your credit, but it is also a crime. You can get into big trouble messing around with those sorts of numbers.

They Contacted You

Don’t expect a company that advertises with spam email to be reputable. Credit repair services that do not attempt to engage your business via spam are far more likely to provide you with reputable service.

Use your Common Sense

If it doesn’t feel right, then there is a strong possibility that it is not right. Common sense should guide the majority of your financial decisions and this one is no different. You should know, at this point, what a legitimate business looks like and what a scam looks like. If you start to feel uncomfortable at any point during your interaction with a given company, then it is time to look in another direction.

About the Author:

Richard Lakin’s musings of the credit repair business with special attention on credit repair service can be found on his blog.

Richard Lakin | Credit Repair |

Tags: Credit Repair

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