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Although there are plenty of credit repair companies out there that are scams, not all of them are. There are legitimate credit cleanup companies. However, there is nothing they do for you that you are not able to do for yourself. Here are some steps you can take to clean up your own credit history:
- Get copies of your credit reports. You can get a free copy from each of the three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion – once a year, or you can order them for a small fee.
- Look over all the information and make sure it is accurate. Up to 80% of credit reports contain misinformation, so make sure that all your personal information is correct, as well as all account information.
- If you find mistakes, contact the credit bureau as well as the company that reported the information. They are required to follow up on all reports and either confirm the information, correct it, or remove it.
- Make payments on time, do not max out your credit cards, utilize a mix of credit types, and do not close old accounts. All these things will help improve your credit score.