Does your job offer credit education classes?  If not, then ask your boss to feature a HOPE Credit Expert at your next staff meeting! These free classes can be tailored to fit into any schedule.  Our experts can give a quick, 5 minute “credit tip” or even an in depth 1 hour training session on how to achieve healthier credit.

HOPE would love to help you give a little something back to your hardworking employees. Please contact us today for more information or to schedule a free credit education class for your company.  Just don’t wait too long – our calendar fills up fast!

Don’t forget: HOPE Credit Experts are available for your next church seminar or school event as well! Clean credit and the peace of mind that comes along with it is a priceless gift! Why not share it with your employees, friends, and family? We hope to hear from you soon!

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Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft
Part 10
by Michelle Black

Thanks very much for “tuning in” today for our 10^th and final tip regarding identity theft prevention.  I hope that you have enjoyed this blog series as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  By following today’s tip and all 9 previous tips outlined in this series you can drastically reduce your chances of being victimized by ID thieves.

#10:  Take Your Name Off Promotional Lists.

When taking strides to reduce your risk of identity theft, it is definitely a good idea to opt out of pre-approved and promotional offers. Remember, in part 3 of this blog series where I wrote about “dumpster divers?” Dumpster divers are thieves who steal personal information right out of your trash can. It is very easy for a thief to steal a pre-approved credit card offer that was sent to you (especially if the document is thrown into the trash without being properly shredded) and apply for an account in your name with a new address. Nearly half (43%) of all identity fraud originates from stolen wallets and/or stolen paperwork. By removing yourself from these promotional mailing lists you can avoid this risk all together. Thankfully, it is pretty simple to have yourself removed from these lists. Just visit www.optoutprescreen.com to get started.

At HOPE we know that being a victim of identity fraud is a nightmare. Once a fraudulent account appears on your credit report it can been almost impossible to see it removed without having to pay for the account out of your own pocket unless professional assistance is used.  In fact, 70% of ID theft victims have difficulty removing the fraudulent information that resulted from ID theft from their credit reports (ITRC Aftermath Study).  If you have been a victim of ID theft (or you suspect that you have been a victim of ID theft) then we invite you to give our team of credit experts a call.  You can schedule a no-obligation credit analysis appointment with HOPE to see how much damage has been done to your credit report and what it will take to help you turn the situation around. For more information or to schedule your appointment please call 704-499-9696.  We would love to help you kick identity theft issues or any other credit issues you may be facing to the curb!

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Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft
Part 7
by Michelle Black

Thanks for checking in again today for our latest identity theft prevention tip.  If you have not done so already, we would love for you to take the time to review parts 1 – 6 of this empowering blog series. The most effective way to combat identity theft is to be aware of the practices employed by scam artists and identity thieves.  Knowing what to do and what not to do in advance could save you a lot of heartache and help to avoid identity fraud before it has a chance to affect you!  Here is our next tip:

#7:  Don’t Put Checks in Your Mailbox.

Even if this sounds like overkill to you, it is strongly advised that you do not put checks in the mail from your home mailbox. Drop them off at a U.S. Mailbox or the U.S. Post Office. Mail theft is common. It is easy. All that a thief needs to do is steal your check (rent check, power bill check, cell phone bill check, etc.) and change the name of the recipient on the check with an acid wash. You can also pay your bills online via a secure website to further protect yourself from this type of fraud.

Shockingly, there are around 10 million victims of identity theft in the United States every single year! Following today’s tip, and previous tips from our Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft blog series will help you to drastically reduce you chances of being numbered among those victims. Don’t forget to check back with us soon for more tips and hints you can use to combat identity thieves.

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The HOPE staff would like to congratulate Mr. Melendez of Charlotte, NC today for his recent success and credit report improvement!  Since joining HOPE, Mr. Melendez has seen his credit scores go from zero on all 3 credit bureaus up to the 600s with all 3 credit bureaus! To top off this great success he has also had $3,527 in negative, unverifiable debt erased from his credit report!

Every week the HOPE Program is proud and thrilled to help our members achieve their dreams of healthier credit and home ownership.  It’s true that the economy has damaged the credit reports of many, many good people in our country.  However, the great news is that, even if your credit scores are low, you have the legal right to work to improve them! We at HOPE firmly believe that having bad credit does NOT make someone a bad person. It gives us great pleasure to help our members recover their good names!

For more information about the services offered by the HOPE Program we please email us or give us a call at 704-499-9696.  Our friendly staff is standing by to receive your call. We would love to show you how the HOPE Program can help you to achieve your clean credit goals!

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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.

Have feedback regarding our blog series? We would love for you to drop us a quick comment on Facebook or Twitter!