Learn how to keep your creditors from harassing you, reduce your monthly payments and lower your debt. Find out how to get a copy of your credit report, understand what it really says and make it read more favorably for you. Stop worrying about identity theft by teaching yourself what to do to prevent it and how to react if it happens to you.
This easy-to-use guide explains how to clean up your credit report, lessen your debt and cope with your financial woes. It teach you how to get back on track.
-Consolidate Student Loans: Find hidden cost-savers through loan consolidations and other budgeting tips to help fit your needs.
-Lessen Your Debt: Follow proven techniques to negotiate with creditors and dispute billing errors.
-Creditor Tactics: Stop harassing phone calls and nasty letters from your creditors. You have rights that they cannot ignore.
-Identity Theft: Learn how to prevent it from happening to you and what to do to immediately stop any damage it does.
-Improve Your Credit Score: Discover the secrets of raising your credit score and taking control of your financial future.
-Build Good Credit: Get on the road to financial freedom by changing behaviors and managing your resources more effectively.
There is no magic wand, but you can fix your credit problems. The Complete Credit Repair Kit shows you how to do it quickly, correctly and stress free.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
Excerpted from Complete Credit Repair Kit by Brette McWhorter Sember ©2005
Identity theft occurs when someone else uses your personal information, such as date of birth, name, or Social Security number as his or her own. Identity thieves use this information to obtain new credit or use your existing credit and make purchases leaving you responsible for them. They sometimes open new credit or phone accounts or take out loans using your name and Social Security number. Identity thieves sometimes complete change of address forms to divert your mail to them. They also have been known to file for bankruptcy in your name to avoid creditors or eviction. It can be hard to immediately recognize when identity theft is happening to you, so it is important to learn to spot the signals. Identity theft is a federal crime, under the federal Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act.
When identity theft happens you may not be aware of it. Many people find out when they receive a call from a creditor about a charge or balance they did not create. You might also notice unknown charges on a credit card bill. Getting your credit report every year will help make sure no one is using your identity or accounts.
Preventing Identity Theft
To prevent identity theft, you need to pay attention to how you give out your personal information and how you dispose of garbage that contains your personal information. Before giving out any personal information ask why it is needed and how it will be used.
Also ask how your personal information is kept at work and what safety measures are in place to protect it. Ask if you can request that your information be kept confidential and not shared in any way.
Keep your purse or wallet with you at all times and do not leave it in your desk at work or on a chair. When you are in the hospital, have a family member take it home and never leave it unattended in a hospital room or doctor’s waiting room. Do not leave your purse in a shopping cart or in an unlocked car.
