Just when you thought you had heard it all in the world of credit card rip-offs, debt collection and bankruptcy, something interesting happened in the office last week.  I met with two different potential clients who stated that their credit cards were cancelled, despite the clients having zero balances on the credit lines and decent credit [...]

Phishing is a criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information including passwords, credit card numbers, and the like.    It typically occurs when you receive an email that appears to be from your bank or an online service (think PayPal or eBay) instructing you to click on a link to provide information to verify [...]

Pharming is a hacker’s attack aiming to redirect a website’s traffic to another bogus website.  Hackers redirect a legitimate Web site’s traffic to an impostor site, where you’ll be asked to provide confidential information.  Common targets are ecommerce and online banking websites.  Pharming is used to steal identity information.
To help protect yourself from pharming, you [...]

Spyware is computer software that is installed on a computer to intercept or take partial control over the user’s interaction with the computer, without the user’s consent.  You’ve unknowingly downloaded illicit software when you’ve opened an attachment, clicked on a pop-up or downloaded a song or a game. Criminals can use spyware to record your [...]

Fix your credit.  Repair your credit score.  Delete judgments, bankruptcies, and past due accounts so you can qualify for new credit at favorable terms.
Sound familar?  Those are the stock phrases millions of consumer hear on late-night television from the scammers who are out to get your money.  They promise the moon and stars, then promptly [...]

MSN Money has a short credit quiz sponsored by Experian.  It tests your knowledge on general credit subjects such as

Who are the three major credit reporting agencies?
Can your employer pull your credit report without your permission?
What information is used to calculate your credit score?
What happens to your credit report when you marry?
If you liked that [...]

A “Consumer Report” is a report that bears upon a consumer’s creditworthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living.
A consumer report can be transmitted by oral, written or other means of communication.
Information contained in a consumer’s file with a credit reporting agency is not a consumer report until it [...]

Only people with a legitimate business need, as specified by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, can look at you report without your permission.  For example, if you apply for credit, insurance, employment, or to rent an apartment, the company is allowed to obtain your report.
A Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) is not allowed to give information [...]

The goal of filing for bankruptcy is to discharge debts that the debtor can’t pay back.  After bankruptcy is filed, creditors can’t try to collect the discharged debt.s  Bankruptcy may be filed as either a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case or Chapter 13, but both discharge debts. 
There are debts that simply aren’t discharged in bankruptcy, [...]

A recent Bank Rate story on early mortgage relief plan reports that credit scores are used to determine eligibility for governmental help.  Credit scores are based on the information in credit reports.  However, studies show credit reports are notoriously inaccurate.
The announcement that the government was going to accord decisive effect to credit scores pushed me [...]