Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft
Part 5
by Michelle Black

There are few things I hate more than identity fraud.  I have seen identity thieves wreak tremendous havoc on the lives of good, innocent people.  Thankfully, during my years working at HOPE, I have also seen our team of credit experts help many, many people overcome identity fraud and take back their good names.  Unfortunately, even with professional assistance, it takes time to undo the damage that an identity thief causes to a credit report.  That is why I am continuing this week to share even more ways that you can protect yourself and hopefully keep from ever becoming a victim of identity theft in the first place!  On that note, here is my next tip:

#5:  Never Leave Personal Information in Your Car.

“Car prowling” is another common way identity thieves target their victims.  You should never leave your checkbook, wallet, purse, credit cards, credit card purchase receipts, social security card, credit card statements, or any other personal information in your vehicle.  If an identity thief gets their hands on any of these items you could be in serious trouble.  So, don’t make it any easier for the dishonest to abuse you!  Lock up these personal items in your home or keep them on your person at all times.

There are still more tips to come so check back with us again this week! By the end of this blog series you too can be an expert at preventing identity fraud.  Plus, you can help to increase awareness regarding one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States by “tweeting,” emailing, or sharing a link to this article with your online friends.  Our easy to use “share” buttons below make this easier than ever.

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Congratulations to the Alexander family on their recent home purchase!  Prior to joining HOPE this family was broken hearted to learn that their credit scores were not high enough to qualify for a home loan.  However, instead of quitting and giving up this couple decided to work towards achieving their dream – homeownership and clean credit.

It didn’t happen overnight – things worth working for seldom do – but it didn’t take that long either.  After just 6 months of membership in the HOPE Program, working hand in hand with HOPE Credit Experts to improve their credit scores, the Alexanders were approved for a home loan! Not only were they approved, but over $8,137 in negative, delinquent accounts were removed or negotiated from their credit reports and the Alexanders credit scores rose from the low 500s all the way up to the mid 600s!

After their home closing Mrs. Alexander wrote to tell us:
“Hello, I hope you all are doing well. Just wanted to say thank you for all your help and support. Because of you all our credit is great and we purchased our dream home! Not just a home but our dream home. Thank you so much.”

We are so very excited for the Alexanders and so very proud of this family and our caring staff for all of their hard work!  Remember, the Alexander’s story is not an anomaly.  It can happen for you too.  Bad credit, collections, judgments, low credit scores, foreclosure, and even bankruptcy does not have to be the end of your story because you can turn your credit situation around.  There is no magic wand and it may not happen overnight, but many HOPE members are able to turn their credit situations around and have scores healthy enough to qualify for a home loan in 6 months or less! In fact, over 85 HOPE graduates have been able to qualify for a home loan in the past 4 and 1/2 months alone!

If you would like more information on the services provided by the HOPE Program please email us or give us a call at 704-499-9696.  We would love to answer your questions and show you how HOPE can help you to achieve the healthy credit you dream of having!  There is no such thing as a HOPEless situation!

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As you know, we really enjoy bragging on our members and fantastic staff at HOPE.  When our members and staff work hard and follow HOPE’s customized credit restoration plan - great things happen!  Here’s another example of a new HOPE graduate’s success:

John joined HOPE a few months ago because he needed to purchase a vehicle.  His scores were too low at the time to qualify for a loan with a bank or finance company.  He had some outstanding collection accounts on his credit that were causing him to be turned down for the financing he needed as well.

After joining HOPE and being a member for just 3 short months John NOW is proud to have a completely clean credit report!  HOPE was even able to help John negotiate his debt for less than half of what he owed to his creditors.  Plus, John has qualified for and purchased a brand new car!  Needless to say, he couldn’t be happier.  Congratulations to John and our HOPE staff of credit experts on this great turn around.

Feel free to share John’s story with your friends, family, and social media friends by clicking one of the easy to use “share” buttons below.  Any credit situation can be turned around with the proper guidance and little bit of work.  You never know who might need a little bit of “HOPE” today!

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HOPE would like to wish a big congratulations to Mr. Howard and family for their successful home closing!  We are so excited to see you achieve your goal of homeownership and a healthier credit report.  Mr. Howard has seen some great results during his HOPE Program membership like:

*A credit score increase of over 50 points per credit bureau in less than 90 days!
*A credit report clean and healthy enough to qualify for a mortgage loan!
*A healthy balance of new, on time accounts showing on his credit report!

There is nothing in the world we love more than seeing another happy HOPE graduate and homeowner.  For more information on how you can deal with credit problems that are currently holding you back please give us a call at 704-499-9696 or email us today.  Our HOPE credit specialists cannot wait to hear from you and show you how a healthier credit report could be just around the corner for you too!

Remember: you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter for access to weekly credit tips, contests, and much more!

We just received news about one of our members that is so exciting we just couldn’t wait to post it!  A HOPE member had a credit report review done by her loan officer today and the results are, well, phenomenal!  We think that you will agree.

The member joined HOPE around 6 months ago with 32 negative collection accounts and over $41,000 in outstanding, negative debt.  Our staff has been hard at work on her behalf during her membership.  As of her new credit report today we are thrilled to announce some wonderful improvement:

157 point score increase in her middle credit score!
$22,738 in negative debt removed from her credit report!

The member has seen an average of $3,790 in debt removed from her credit report during each and every month of her HOPE membership PLUS an average monthly credit score increase of 26 points!  Now, that is what we at HOPE call a success story!  If you agree, please feel free to spread the word.  Your referrals and trust in the HOPE Program is highly valued and appreciated.  Congratulations again to our newest, very satisfied HOPE member!

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