For various reasons many people find themselves in debt and in desperation turn to whatever and whomever it takes to help them out.  Although there are legitimate credit counseling agencies, there are also many scammers using your financial troubles as an opportunity to steal money from you.  They may make unrealistic promises as to being able to fix your credit report immediately, they may attempt to use illegal tactics such as “file segregation” that involve obtaining a new Employer Identification Number for you to substitute for your Social Security number in an effort to illegally hide your past credit history.

TIP

Check out any credit counseling or credit repair agency you may be considering with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies along with the Federal Trade Commission and your own state’s attorney general to make sure that they are legitimate.