Several months ago, my wife logged into her email account, only to be greeted by numerous emails from PayPal showing several unauthorized  payments had been made from her account.  We later found out that she had logged onto her PayPal account for the first time in several months from her sister’s computer.  It seems her sister’s computer may have been compromised, and this is where the theft may have taken place.  Regardless, the very first thing she did was contact PayPal to explain that these payments were not authorized and to stop all payments.  The second thing my wife did was to contact our local police department to report the ID theft.

There are, of course, several things that need to be done if you’re ever a victim of ID theft.  One of the best articles I’ve read on the subject can be found here:   Identity Theft

Contrary to what this article states, I believe the very first step should be to contact the creditor(s) and make them aware of the situation, unless there are too many creditors to contact in a short period of time.  In that case, it  may be best to contact the credit reporting agencies first.  Here’s the contact information for Experian, Equifax and TransUnion to report Identity Theft:

Keep in mind that, if you are a true victim of ID theft, having a police report filed on the offense(s) may be very beneficial later on to prove to the credit reporting agencies and potential creditors that you were indeed a victim of ID theft.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks,

Brad Boruk
The Credit Guy
FCRA-Certified Credit Strategist
National Credit Solutions
214 504-7101

It seems that I receive calls from two or three clients every month stating what a great job National Credit Solutions has done removing derogatory information from their credit files, only to follow up with the question, “Why aren’t my credit scores higher?”  Having been in this business for several years, the first question that comes to mind is whether or not this client has taken full advantage of our program and acted upon their Client Service Representative’s suggestion to add trade lines.

Recently, I received a call from a client, who I’ll refer to as ‘Ms. Smith.’  Ms. Smith called me personally and told me she was very happy with the wonderful job we had done in removing a lot of the derogatory information contained on her credit report.  She then added that she wasn’t happy with her scores.  Looking over her account in our CRM program, I could see that when Ms. Smith had entered our program she was lacking open trade lines in order to help boost her scores, and I could also see that her Client Services Representative had emailed several different links to trade lines we had deemed to be beneficial to Ms. Smith’s credit scores.  I asked Ms. Smith if she had applied for any of the trade lines that we had recommended.  Her response was, “No, I know I need to get that done but I just haven’t taken the time.”  After explaining the importance and effect of positive trade lines on her credit scores, Ms. Smith assured me she would make the time to follow up and open the trade lines we had referred to her.

With most consumer’s credit, raising credit scores isn’t simply a matter of removing derogatory information; it’s also about making sure that the consumer has a healthy mix of credit (installment accounts and revolving accounts) and that the consumer is utilizing those accounts so that they maximize their credit scores.

Perhaps you remember when, in your younger days, you were denied credit because you had no credit history.  A similar effect happens whenever you have bad credit and can’t open new accounts to help rebuild your credit.  It seems impossible to rebuild your credit when creditors won’t extend you credit!  National Credit Solutions takes the pain out of the rebuilding process.  Because banks, credit card companies and stores change their offers and scoring criteria on a routine basis, our Client Services Department spends many hours each month making sure that our clients receive the most up-to-date information and the very best offers available for their particular credit situation.

If you’re considering hiring someone to assist you with your credit situation and they are not talking to you about the importance of open trade lines, do yourself a favor and exclude them from any further consideration.  It’s important to know that great credit scores are a result of having little or no derogatory information on the credit file and good, open trade lines that are being paid on time, month in and month out.  We work hard to provide that information.  After that, it’s up to the client.

Brad Boruk
FCRA Certified Credit Strategist
National Credit Solutions
214 504-7101

Your credit is valuable, and quite possibly more valuable than you realize. Your three digit score isn’t important exclusively to potential creditors; it can also affect the rates you pay for insurance, where you live and and where you work.

More and more employers are looking at prospective employees’ credit files, and your credit score can be used to determine whether or not you’ll be hired or promoted in today’s job market.  The U.S. Military, certain government agencies and numerous companies require an employee to have good credit in order for that employee to be considered for positions that require a security clearance.

It’s common knowledge that apartment managers have been looking at the credit of potential renters for years.  Today, more and more landlords are also getting into the act and deciding which potential renter gets to rent their property by looking at their credit file.

Is it fair to be lumped into a group because of your credit score?   If the items on your credit report are accurate, a case can be made that these practices are fair.  Insurance companies claim that consumers with better credit scores tend to have fewer claims and, as a result, the cost to manage their accounts is much less than consumers with bad credit scores.  Most employers will tell you that employees with better credit tend to have fewer sick days and are generally considered more reliable and trustworthy, thereby lowering the cost of employment.  Apartment managers and landlords can give us statistics that show renters with good credit take better care of the property and tend to pay their rent on time.  So, while this practice may seem unfair, who can blame someone for wanting to do business with a person that has good credit?

We at National Credit Solutions understand that bad things happen to good people.  Have you ever noticed how some people blame others for everything that goes wrong with them?  Individuals that have good credit tend to accept responsibility for their actions and, when they’ve made mistakes, resolve to make better decisions in the future.  If you’ve had bad things happen in your past and your credit scores have suffered as a result, if you’re ready to accept responsibility and do something about it, please feel free to contact me personally.  I’d like to speak with you, find out what your goals and dreams are, and see what we can do to help you.

Brad Boruk
FCRA Certified Credit Strategist
National Credit Solutions
214 504-7101