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Consumer advisory: People have the right to cancel credit repair services

People working to improve their credit situations can feel trapped. Some companies use this stressful situation to take advantage of consumers by selling a promise of credit repair services. However, these services often charge fees without delivering on their promises.

The CFPB filed a lawsuit against companies doing business using the names Lexington Law and CreditRepair.com. These are two of the country’s largest credit repair companies—companies that promise to fix or to improve people’s credit. The court concluded that the companies broke the law. As part of a legal settlement in the case, the companies are banned from using telemarketing to sell their credit repair services for ten years.

Some customers of Lexington Law and CreditRepair.com can cancel their services without penalty

Thousands of customers of Lexington Law and CreditRepair.com have received e-mail notices, letting them know they can cancel their credit repair services with no penalty and outlining the steps to take. The email includes an internet link and phone number you can use to cancel your account, along with the following information:

Lexington Law and CreditRepair.com are reaching out to you to remind you that—as stated in your attached engagement agreement—you have the right to terminate your credit repair services at any time and for any reason (or no reason at all).

Check your inbox for the e-mail and take action today to protect yourself from illegal charges from Lexington Law or CreditRepair.com.

You have the right to see results before you pay

Under federal law, when a company uses telemarketing to sell credit repair services, they have to meet certain requirements before they can charge for their services. First, the company must achieve the results it promised you within the time frame they stated. Second, the company must give you a consumer report showing the results, and the report must be generated more than six months after the results were claimed to have been achieved. Only then can the company charge you fees or accept your payment.

You don’t have to pay a company to fix or improve your credit

You can dispute mistakes in your credit reports yourself, for free. You don’t have to pay a credit repair company to do it for you.

The first step is to visit annualcreditreport.com to get your free credit reports from the three nationwide credit reporting companies. You can see your credit reports online, for free, each week. Look over the reports to spot errors. Then, use our sample letters, video , and answers to common questions to help with resolving problems.

Errors can be investigated and resolved, but credit repair companies cannot legally get information removed if it is accurate and timely. If errors on your credit reports are not the problem, the CFPB has tips for building and keeping a good credit score.

What you can do:

  • Turn to our online guides and tools for information on how to dispute inaccurate information on your credit reports along with ways to improve your credit scores.
  • Submit a complaint about financial products or services online or by phone at (855) 411-CFPB (2372)
  • If you work or formerly worked for a company and believe the company has violated federal consumer financial protection laws, send what you know to whistleblower@cfpb.gov.