| Scam Jam 2007 held
By Karen WilliamsonKARENW@CULLMANTIMES.COMExperts agree shredding mail, paying bills and viewing bank statements online, picking up new check orders at the bank and mailing bills at the post office are ways to stop identity theft.If people take those steps, they will have reduced their risk for identity theft considerably, according to Federal Trade Commission attorney Paul Davis from Atlanta who was one of the experts at the 2007 Scam Jam Wednesday at City Hall."That right there will eliminate a certain percentage of identity theft," he said.Paying bills online requires the use of anti-virus software and firewalls on personal computers, and both have to be updated regularly, he said.Davis recommends contacting one of the three consumer reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — every four months to request a free credit report."Federal law allows you to get free copies of each one every year," he said.That way people will know quickly if there is a problem.
'Security Risk' Blocks U.S. Troops Overseas from Free Credit Report Site
No Free Online Access for Millions of Americans YONKERS, N.Y., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Millions of U.S. citizens outside the country -- including several hundred thousand members of the armed forces -- are not permitted to see their personal credit information on the Web site set up by law to provide free access, over security concerns that an offshore user might create. Four years ago, the U.S. Congress mandated creating the http://www.annualcreditreport.com site that gives consumers free access to one report per year from each of the three major credit agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The law that created that site, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 -- known as FACTA, or the FACT Act -- was designed to protect U.S.
Easy Steps to Improve Your Credit Score
(ARA) - Your credit score affects what type of interest rates you get on credit cards or for buying a house or car, as well as your approvals for employment or apartment rental. It's important that you understand not only what your score means, but how to repair it.Now you can get your credit score online.By viewing your credit activity on a regular basis you can remove any items that may not belong to you, which can negatively affect your score. If you have a low credit score due to detrimental items that need to be removed or fixed, there are steps you can take to remove them.GoFreeCredit.com teaches you how to manage your credit report and how to deal with credit bureaus and creditors. Credit monitoring, automatic notification of credit activity and a detailed personal analysis are all included in this online service.Many times people don't realize there is negative activity on their credit report.
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