| Credit Repair Organizations Act Overview |
| By Credit Federal |
Published
10/2/2008
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Credit Report
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Bad Credit Repair - Protect Yourself from Scams
Since a great number of credit repair companies use dishonest and illegal methods to falsely enhance their customers' credit, the Credit Repair Organization Act was put in place to protect consumers. Nonetheless, several credit repair services are nothing more than scams to trick consumers out of their money.
Order your annual free credit report and fix errors.
The Act seeks to ensure that consumers who decide to use credit repair services are aware of their rights and are able to make an informed decision about choosing to pay a credit repair company.
Define Credit Repair Organization - A credit repair organization is any person or business who takes money in exchange for improving your credit.
About the Credit Repair Organizations Act - It restricts Credit Repair Organizations from doing the following illegal activity:
- Lie or advise you to lie about your credit history to your current or future creditors
- Alter your identity, such as getting a new EIN (Employer Identification Number) or a new identity to try to get a new credit history
- Misrepresent the services they provide to you
- Ask you to pay for services before they have been provided
The law requires the organization to provide you with a disclosure called “'Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law' that lets you know your right to obtain a credit report and dispute inaccurate information on your own. You also have the right to sue an organization for violating the CROA.
Credit Repair Contract Requirements - Before a credit repair company can perform any services for you, you must be given a contract, you must sign the contract, and the 3-business day cancellation period must expire. The contract should include the following:
- Payment amount required
- A description of the services that will be performed to repair your credit
- An estimate of the time it will take to complete the services (or a date by which the services will be completed)
- A visible statement letting you know you can canel the contract within 3 business days
You have the right to cancel a signed contract within 3 business days. The organization cannot charge you a fee for this cancellation as long as it's made within the specified time frame. Your contract should include a Notice of Cancellation form that you can fill out and return to cancel the contract.
The credit repair organization cannot ask you to sign any kind of form waiving your rights under the CROA. Any waiver you sign is considered void and cannot be enforced by federal or state.
How to report violations - Organizations that violate the law can be sued for actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees. You can report violations to the FTC, your state attorney general, plus file suit in your state. Limitations: You have five years from the date the violation occurred (or the date you learned of the violation) to take action against the organization.
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