Any application for credit can result in your credit report being pulled by the potential creditor. Whether it’s for a mortgage, a VISA card or a furniture store, it can impact your credit score. One potentially hazardous practice is applying for credit over the internet. If you apply for a mortgage loan […]
To protect themselves from identity theft, many consumers have purchased paper shredders to destroy their personal information before discarding it in their trash. While it’s better than just throwing offers of credit correspondence away, it may not be enough.
By watching any one of the numerous crime shows on TV, you’ll discover that strip shredded […]
One of the simplest ways to improve your credit is to “clean up” unnecessary accounts that you have open. Since most consumers are inundated with pre-qualified/approved offers and offers of instant credit at many retailers, it’s easy to end up with numerous credit accounts that you don’t really need or use. Often […]
The credit bureaus have recently announced they are adopting a new scoring method for consumer credit histories in order to have “more uniform” scores across the three bureaus and provide better “predictors” of credit risk. Yeah, right! A Waltz is a waltz, whether the tune is Blue Danube or not.
Bottom line, just because […]
Hacking may not be a spectator sport but it’s one of the fastest growing ones. Computer thieves are stealing us blind everyday while we’re in the safety of our own home or office. The warnings about computer data theft in public Wi-fi locations made consumers more cautious but the newest threats will come […]
Much of the information on this website has been about informing consumers how their credit history is used by the credit bureaus and the untold numbers of companies they sell it to. When people apply for something as weighty as a mortgage, most would think the information they provide their loan officers/brokers is confidential […]
Despite new laws, increased media coverage and consumer awareness, identity theft appears to be more a of threat than ever. More stringent FTC regulations and higher penalties still fail to stem the increasing exposure consumers experience with every new security breach.
The recent $10 million ChoicePoint settlement with the FTC for 160,000 individual’s […]
According to a recent article on CNN.com, a study completed by American Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance, “phishing scams” fool 70% of internet users. Tatiana Platt, Senior Vice President of AOL, said, “What’s happening is that more and more people are actually engaging in transactions online that would generate e-mail traffic that […]
Whether you are seeking work, credit, a purchase, a service or a place to live, the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Transunion and Experian, have some influence on how you are treated as a consumer. Yet, they aren’t public service agencies, they aren’t consumer agencies, they are not beholden to the consumers whose credit they […]
No laws are coming together quickly enough to make it through Congress before the end of the year. That may be a good thing!
According to an article by Ryan Singel of Wired News, consumer advocates are seeing many companies take more agressive steps to prevent theft and are providing individual notification if records […]
You are currently browsing the archives for the Credit Alerts category.