Why Do You Need to Question Your Credit Score?

By Joseph Ducat

I shouldn’t have to tell you how important it is to have a good credit score. A good score will make it easier for you to get loans approved, and give you privileged access to lower interest rates. And knowing how important a good credit score is, you should also be ready to question the score you get if you want to maintain a top-notch financial reputation.

In today’s information age, the problem of identity theft has become terribly prevalent, and makes it essential to develop a standard practice of questioning your credit score. In doing so, you are embarking on one of the first major steps to ensuring your credit identity is protected.

If you have paid for products and services on the Internet using a credit card, or have had a credit card stolen or lost, you should definitely make it a rule to question your credit score at least once in a year. But even if you believe your credit card information has never been compromised in any way, you should still question your score, simply on principle.

All right then, but how do you actually go about questioning your credit score? First of all, you need a copy of your credit report, which you can get in a number of ways. If you have recently applied for a loan and were denied for whatever reason, then the law states that you should receive a letter explaining why you were denied credit along with instructions on how to view your credit report. So you really shouldn’t throw away that denial letter, as it has useful information about how you can get access to your credit score. Read the letter carefully and follow its instructions. You will eventually gain access to your credit report and learn what has been said about you by various creditors.

Another way to get your credit report is through one of the three major US credit reporting agencies: Experian, Transunion, or Equifax.

Once you get to read your credit report, you may notice that it shows some odd transactions that you are certain you never made. These errors or anomalies can have a very bad effect on your credit score. They may even be indications that you have been a victim of identity theft, and someone has been using your credit identity to make illicit purchases that are billed to you.

To fix such errors and false billings, you have to file a dispute claim with the credit reporting agencies. If you are required to, you must get in touch with the creditor who reported the disputed billing and let them know that fraud is suspected.

Be vigilant about monitoring your credit report for wrong billings and you will quickly put an end to attempts to defraud you and steal your identity.

Learn more information and tips about Worried About Your Credit Score and What Credit Agencies Are For please drop by at http://getbettercredit.info

Dual credit program helps students

By BRANDI SPELBRING

Salem Community High School (SCHS) Principal Brad Detering reported to the board of education on Tuesday night about a way that students may be able to “knock out a semester, or even two, of college while still in high school.”

According to Detering, the expansion of dual credit classes through Kaskaskia College (KC) will enable students to save time and money by finishing first-year general college course work during their high school careers.

“We want to make students and parents aware of the dual credit option and the cost savings for the district. The benefits are not well known,” Detering remarked.

SCHS has been working closely with KC to expand the dual credit option. Business, science, and vocational courses are already offered at SCHS, but Detering would like to see the dual credit option expanded to English, math, and psychology fields by the 2007-2008 school year. Expanding the options will give students an opportunity to start earning college credit sooner, which will transfer to a college or university. In turn, this would help to wipe out some future tuition costs.

Detering stressed that the classes are beneficial no matter which college or university a student may decide to attend. The credits will transfer to all colleges, not just KC. Although some classes will only transfer as electives, the benefit remains. If Math 101 will not transfer as a parallel Math 101, it will count as a math elective towards college graduation, which is still worthwhile.

Another curriculum issue under discussion was the serious statewide delay of last year’s Prairie State Assessment Tests, which will not be in until January or February. The delay is due to the testing company being switched, said Detering.

“Normally, the test results are in during late summer or early fall. We have the results when school starts and they are usually discussed at our opening day workshop,” explained Detering.

According to Detering, the delay has serious effects on the students in preparation for college. The results of the tests help teachers assess weaknesses in their classes, and where emphasis should be placed to help students.

In money matters, board member Charlie Raglin was able to get some answers to the tax disbursement situation the board has been upset about. Raglin decided to approach the board during the November meeting after discovering at a conference that most counties do not receive their taxes so late in the year. Many of them receive their taxes as early as July, while SCHS waited until late November for their disbursement, creating a problem with funding for the school. Raglin reported he was told the delay was caused due to the lack of help in the assessor’s office.

He was also informed the board can request for the Marion County Board to pass a resolution which would make taxes due much earlier in the year, by sending out tax statements at the beginning of July.

In other business:

• The semester has come to an end, with semester exams on Wednesday and Thursday. Students will be on holiday break beginning Thursday, at 2:15 p.m., until January 4.

• In employment matters, the resignation as head boys’ golf coach by Assistant Principal John Boles was accepted. Denise Brindell was hired, with certification pending, as the new girls’ softball coach. Sam Alli was hired as the assistant track coach.

• The 2006 tax levy hearing was held, with no comments from the public. The levy passed at $2,960,194, a 6.1561 percent increase over the previous year.

Credit card fraud spam carries virus

A spam-scam pretends to want your credit card details but a dangerous payload is attached.

A message saying that your credit card has been declined carries more than the usual spam-scam risks for attached is a virus.

The spam-scam is headed something like "ERROR 23741: [VISA OVERDRAFT HAS EXCEED]" and the body of the message (reproduced below) suggests that your credit card details are held by a jewellery company which has been unable to charge your card.

Of course, it's a fraud, but more dangerous perhaps is the fact that a small .exe file is attached to the message, and that file includes malicious code.

The company has posted a warning on its website which carries a note from AVG saying that no virus was found in the message. That is correct: the virus is in the attachment which AVG does correctly identify and quarantine (at least, our copies do).