With the current credit freeze -it's more important than ever for consumers to review their credit reports for inaccuracies or fraudulent accounts that could cause their credit score to plummet -and interest rates and insurance premiums to spike! Whatever the...
September 2008 Archives
In a bad economy, scam artists usually work overtime. If you receive an email, text or voice mail message from someone claiming you need to verify your information - urging you to contact them by using the number provided, or...
The public needs to hear the truth from the homeowners who had their lives ruined by the corporate greed and criminal activity that caused this economic crisis.Jack Wright, victim of mortgage servicing fraud and founder of msfraud.org says, "People were...
Earlier this year, former employees of MBNA and Bank of America contacted AFFIL looking for a way to speak out about disturbing sales practices they were trained to use as employees. According to Americans For Fairness in Lending, "Their...
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is urging consumers to be cautious when making donations to help the victims of the disaster, and for victims of the disaster to beware of home repair and identity...
Text-heavy Web sites boast bulk listings of personal information on sale for a few hundred dollars a bundle. These sites operate beneath the surface, hidden where the average Web surfer would never look. And for a quick transaction online, a...
The Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act has passed Congress and is on its way to the President to be signed into law. The US is about to have and identity theft law. Known as the Identity Theft Enforcement and...
We often hear about identity theft and the many costs, frustrations and headaches it causes for its (presumably adult) victims. But did you know that your toddler's identity is at risk too?That's right. We now need to be protective of...
Many consumers have had difficulty understanding how to best protect their smart phones from being hacked. Smart Phones were introduced as being able to simplify your daily life, and the demand on the manufacturers was significant enough to ramp up...
In yesterday's blog on the Bear Stearns and EMC's settlement of $28 million with the FTC, I noted Katie Porter's report indicating the lack of regulation within the mortgage servicing industry. I also thought it was stunning that the settlement...
The Consumer Warning Network has another stunning video that paints a picture of greed and corruption that explains why we are where we are today with the mortgage and credit crises. Many borrowers took their complaints to legislators, regulators and...
The state Supreme Court recently ruled that AT&T couldn't compel a customer to resolve his dispute through arbitration, allowing him to pursue a class-action lawsuit against the telecommunications company."It is an enormous victory for the consumers in this case," said...
Whenever a data breach occurs most companies are quick to offer those who may be affected -credit monitoring services. Credit monitoring services will only notify you after there's a problem in your credit report, and long after the damage has...
Consumer forums and communities offer a wealth of information, as well as provide a great sense of camaraderie, validation, guidance and knowledge from other consumers who understand what it's like when faced with credit nightmares, debt problems, mortgage issues or...
We we will never forget where we were on 9.11.2001. Take a moment to remember...then offer a prayer for those lives lost, their families, friends and first responders still grieving... With material from almost 30 filmmakers, director Steven Rosenbaum turns...
While Congress battles to keep homeowners afloat, the sharks are circling the boat. The credit card industry has run amok, and it's time to stop it. A tough House bill will finally harpoon the beast, but there are only four...
Attorney General Bill McCollum issued a consumer alert today after a significant data breach with the Bank of New York Mellon Shareholder Services. In a news release, the Attorney General says "more than 742,000 Florida residents may have had their...
It seems we consumers are not the only ones who think the credit bureaus are unfair and give little to no care for how their actions affect the little guy -which is usually us. But not in this case. Seems...
In 2007 the FTC received nearly 71,000 complaints about abusive debt collection practices up from 69,000 the year before. Nearly 20-percent of court-filed complaints alleged harassment through repeated calls, 13-percent of complainants said collectors called a third party repeatedly and...
Recently I was personally introduced to my first "vishing" scam. My cell phone indicated I had received a voice mail --though the phone was sitting right next to me and never rang. I just assumed it went directly to voice...
If you are one of the millions of Americans who have placed your phone number on the Do-Not-Call list operated by the FTC, but you continue to receive calls, you are not alone. And many of the calls being made...
An electronic database of about 13,000 retired Ohio police officers - including the retirees' names, home addresses and Social Security numbers - was improperly taken by a former Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund employee this month, officials confirmed. Names,...
For many years, credit rating agencies like Moody's and Standard & Poor's played a large but mostly hidden role in the financial system, giving marks of approval to mortgages that were packaged and sold to investors. It wasn't until many...
When lack of insurance or low income prevents payment of medical bills, patients can find themselves tied up in a lawsuit. In St. Joseph, those on the receiving end of that litigation complain of the treatment they've received from...
A memoir exposing the steep price consumers pay when facing mortgage servicing errors, inaccurate credit reporting, illegal debt collection practices, identity theft and weak consumer protection laws. THE BOOK » DENISE'S STORY »
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