The FTC charged Villa Park, Calif.-based American Credit Crunchers LLC, an affiliated company known as Ebeeze LLC, and the companies’ owner, Varang K. Thaker, with violating the FTC Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

In the last two years, consumers in the United States have received millions of collection calls from India by Thaker and his related companies.

According to the FTC’s complaint, American Credit Crunchers and Thaker obtained information, including Social Security or bank account numbers, about consumers who had inquired about, applied for or obtained online payday loans. Thereafter, Thaker worked with telephone “debt collectors” in India who called consumers using deceptive statements and threats to convince them to pay debts that were not owed or that he was not authorized to collect.

According to the FTC, Thaker and his companies falsely told consumers they were delinquent on a loan, they must pay it and they had the authority to collect it. They also falsely claimed to be law enforcement authorities or attorneys and made false threats against consumers who refused to pay the alleged debts, including threats of arrest or imprisonment. Many consumers often felt so harassed and threatened that they paid the alleged debts out of fear of being arrested or sued.

The FTC alleged that information submitted by consumers who applied online for the fake payday loans found its way into the hands of the American Credit Crunchers and Thaker. Since January 2010, the operation took in more than $5 million from victims across the United States.

Often pretending to be law enforcement officers or other governmental authorities, the telephone “debt collectors” would falsely threaten to immediately arrest and jail consumers if they did not agree to make a payment on a delinquent payday loan, the FTC’s court papers stated.

Claiming to be from a local police department, or simply a “federal investigator” from the “Federal Department of Crime and Prevention,” “Affidavit Consolidation Services,” Criminal Bureau of Identity,” “U.S. National Bank,” “US Justice Department/Payday Loan Division,” “Federal Investigation Bureau,” “United Legal Processing” and other phony names, the telephone callers often demanded more than $300 and sometimes as much as $2,000.

At other times, according to the FTC, the telephone “debt collectors” said they would file a lawsuit against the consumer because of the delinquent payday loan or would have them fired from their job.

But the consumers did not owe money to American Credit Crunchers or Thaker. Either the payday loan debts did not exist or the phony telephone “debt collectors” had no authority to collect them because they were owed to someone else.

The court order halts the illegal conduct and freezes the assets of American Credit Crunchers and Thaker while the FTC continues to prosecute its case.

“This is a brazen operation based on pure fraud, and the FTC is committed to shutting it down,” stated David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Consumers should not be pressured into paying debt they don’t remember owing. Legitimate debt collectors must provide consumers with both written information about the debt, and instructions for protecting themselves if they don’t think they owe the debt.”

If contacted by a debt collector, always remember that:

1. A debt collector may contact you in person, by mail, e-mail, telephone, telegram or fax. A collector may not contact you with such frequency that can be considered harassing. A debt collector may not contact you at work if they know your employer does not disapprove, nor may they contact you at unreasonable times or places, such as before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

2. A debt collector is required to send written notice within five days of first contact advising the amount due. The notice must also specify the name of the creditor and what action to take if you wish to dispute the debt.

3. You may stop a debt collector from contacting you by writing a letter ceasing them from communication. Once the agency receives it, they may not make further contact except to advise there will be no further contact or to notify you of a specific action contemplated by the creditor.

4. A debt collector may not harass or abuse a consumer. A collector may not use threats of violence against a person, property or reputation; use obscene or profane language; advertise the debt; or repeatedly make calls with the intent to harass or abuse the person at the called number.

5. Debt collectors may not use false statements, such as implying they are attorneys; that you have committed a crime; that they operate or work for a credit reporting agency; misrepresent the amount of a debt; or indicate that papers mailed are legal forms when they are not.

6.) Debt collectors may not threaten arrest or that they will seize property or garnish wages unless the collection agency or creditor intends to do so; or that a lawsuit will be filed when they have no legal right to file or do not intend to file such a suit.

If you are being harassed by a debt collector — real or fake — file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office or with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.

After more than seven years on the South Florida airwaves, Bill Lewis – host of The Credit Report with Bill Lewis – has left his 9 o’clock morning drive time show on AM 1470 WWNN.

The Credit Report with Bill Lewis, a daily forum for business and financial news, politics, economic trends, and cutting edge issues, a daily radio talk show hosted by Bill Lewis has moved south on the dial and now airs on AM 740 WSBR weekdays at 7am.

Originally launched on AM 1400 WFTL in 2004, as the “Credit Restoration Consultants Hour,” Bill Lewis provided self-help tips and advice regarding credit repair, finances, and related topics. Throughout the years, Bill’s show strayed from the original concept of providing financial awareness to his listeners.

In an effort to strengthen his listener base and to broaden the topics hosted, Bill launched The Credit Report with Bill Lewis upon moving to AM 1470 WWNN within the Beasley Broadcasting group.

Listeners were searching for help regarding a myriad of topics from credit repair, extreme coupon shopping, and foreclosure matters, but welcomed the political format that Bill introduced locally to a south Florida audience.

Guests this week on The Credit Report with Bill Lewis include:

Foreclosure defense attorney Carlos Reyes will appear Monday and host the President’s Day show.  He will discuss the latest developments in the mortgage foreclosure crisis. After nearly a year of negotiations, federal and state officials and five major mortgage servicers (Ally Financial, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, and Wells Fargo) have announced a $25 billion settlement over alleged foreclosure and mortgage loan-servicing abuses.

Chairman Richard DeNapoli of the Broward Republican Party will appear and discuss initiatives to expand candidate awareness through social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Former prosecutor and Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney Jim Lewis will appear and discuss his candidacy for Broward State Attorney as the only Republican for this countywide office in 2012. Lewis is challenging incumbent Michael Satz and Chris Mancini, a former federal prosecutor turned defense attorney. Mancini switched his voter registration from independent to Democrat so he could run against Satz in the party’s primary. Lewis will face the winner of the August primary.

Tom Lauder of Red Broward will appear and discuss his political blog where “Making Broward See Red” is not such a hard job.

Brian Walsh of Wings Plus in Coral Springs will appear and discuss recent appearances by presidential candidates Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich and how his establishment has become “the place to go” for political candidates in south Florida.

Republican Party of Broward County Executive Director Rico Petrocelli will appear and discuss initiatives to grow the local party and upcoming events.

Jennifer Cabrera will appear from Saudi Arabia and discuss her efforts on behalf of Planet Beach Contempo Spa to introduce that brand to the country. Cabrera did not take the traditional road to spa ownership. After years in corporate sales, Cabrera wanted to own her own business. A member of Planet Beach, she heard about the Ms. Planet Beach Gen X contest and a grand prize package that included a free license. Cabrera is now a proud franchisee in North Miami Beach, Florida.

Fort Lauderdale philanthropist and serial entrepreneur Jamie McDonnell will appear and discuss his latest venture, daily deal site LuckyFan.  LuckyFan.com is a dynamic daily discount deal site unlike any other. LuckyFan offers spectacular deals and once in a lifetime experiences so you can live it up, and Get Lucky!

Bill Burke of Paradise Bank will appear and discuss how his three branch bank reached a significant milestone in its six year history by becoming the top Small Business Administration (SBA) community bank lender in the state of Florida.

Since the show’s inception, Bill Lewis has interviewed some of the country’s leading politicians, including: Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Herman Cain, Chris Christie, Jon Huntsman, Allen West, Rick Scott, George LeMieux, Jeff Atwater, Pam Bondi, Marco Rubio, Sharon Day, Alex Sink, Adam Putnam, Charlie Crist, Bill McCollum, Jeff Kottkamp, Jennifer Carroll, Christine O’Donnell, among others.

In addition, The Credit Report with Bill Lewis has hosted a number of politicians as well as attorneys and financial experts in the south Florida area. Among the dozens that have appeared on the show are Carlos Reyes, Al Lamberti, Chip LaMarca, Adam Hasner, Ellyn Bogdanoff, Tom Rooney, Roger Stone, Bob Davids, Lori Parrish, Richard Denapoli, Rico Petrocelli, Jamie McDonnell, Jim Lewis, Tom Lauder, and John Contini.

The Credit Report with Bill Lewis airs live, Monday through Friday from 7am-8am with an encore presentation Saturday’s at 3pm on AM 740 WSBR. Streaming audio is available at http://www.wsbrradio.com and on air participation is welcome at (888) 721-0074.

If you miss the early broadcast, The Credit Report with Bill Lewis is still available weeknights at 9pm and Sunday’s at 1pm on AM 1470 WWNN by streaming audio at http://www.wwnnradio.com.

For daily updates on The Credit Report with Bill Lewis, you can join Bill’s 35,950 plus fans on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/thecreditreportwithbilllewis

From the StoneZone.com:

“I registered to vote as a Republican the same day I turned 18. I registered so I could vote for Richard Nixon’s re-election in 1972. I was excited to join the party of Lincoln, Eisenhower, and Reagan. For one year before leaving for college I served on the Westchester (NY) Republican County Committee.

While living in Washington’s Virginia suburbs, I served on the Arlington County Republican Committee and later the Alexandria Republican City Committee. I served as Young Republican National Chairman from 1977-1979 having been elected in Nashville to follow in the footsteps of Congressman Herbert Warburton, Congressman John Ashbrook, Congressman Donald E. “Buz” Lukens, and Governor Don Sundquist.

I have worked on the campaign staff of Republican candidates in twelve national Republican Presidential campaigns. I was the youngest staffer at President Nixon’s 1972 re-election committee, famously known as the Committee to Re-elect the President, or CREEP, as it became known.

In 1976, I was appointed National Director of Youth For Reagan by Senator Paul Laxalt, chairman of Citizens For Reagan. In 1980, I served as Northeast Regional Political Director for Ronald Reagan serving with skilled political operatives like Charlie Black, Frank Donatelli, Drew Lewis, J. Kenneth Klinge, Lou Kitchin, Paul Manafort and 1968 Reagan campaign veterans Frank Whetstone and Anderson Carter.

In 1984 I reprised this role in the Reagan-Bush re-election campaign, taking on Ohio in addition to the northeastern states. I worked for Jack Kemp for president in 1988. Later in 1988, I took the title of Senior Consultant and flew to California at the direction of Bush campaign manager Jim Baker to salvage California where George H.W. Bush beat Governor Mike Dukakis by a thin one percent.

I’m happy to say I sat out the Bush 41 re-election campaign. It was a total fiasco Without Roger Ailes the campaign fizzled. In 2000, I went to Miami-Dade to supervise recount efforts, again at the request of James A. Baker III. The rest is, of course, history.

In 1976 conservative activists like National Review Publisher Bill Rusher, direct-mail genius Richard Viguerie and former Harvard College Republican Chairman and Nixon administration OEO Director Howard Philips began arguing for the abandonment of the Republican party for a new third party, largely because of the influence of the Rockefeller-Ford wing of the GOP. I argued in barrooms across Washington against this plan because I remembered Barry Goldwater’s admonition to conservatives at the 1960 Republican Convention that “this Party’s our historic home. If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, lets get to work.”

I have always enjoyed being in the party of giants like Roscoe Conkling, Eisenhower, Theodore Roosevelt, Robert A. Taft, Thomas E. Dewey, Joe McCarthy, Henry Cabot Lodge and his brother Governor John Davis Lodge, Everett Dirksen, Caleb Boggs, John Williams, Homer Capehart, Bill Jenner, Nelson Rockefeller, George Murphy, Barry Goldwater, Walter Judd, Bill Scranton, Strom Thurmond, Jack Kemp, Bob Dole, Tom Kean, and Hamilton Fish Sr. and Jr.

Like every good Republican I hated FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, Tip O’Neill, George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, and Teddy Kennedy. I have a tattoo of Richard Nixon on my back not because I admire his policies, but because I admire his drive and resilience.

On Monday, I left the Republican Party changing my Florida voter registration to the Libertarian Party. There are 25,000 of us registered Libertarians in Florida.

Sadly, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan wouldn’t recognize today’s Republican Party. The GOP went from being a Main Street party under Ronald Reagan to being the Wall Street Party again under both Bush’s. Bush 41 broke his “no new taxes” pledge and President George W. Bush’s new entitlement programs and reckless spending made us the party of big spending and big government.

Meanwhile social conservatives in the party demand Litmus tests on issues like abortion and gay marriage equality from those who share their conservative economic and foreign policy views making a cohesive coalition of social and economic conservatives ultimately impossible.

Sadly the difference between the two major parties has become rhetorical. Under the Democrats you’re going to hell. Under the Republicans, you are still going to hell but you are going more slowly.

To real conservatives the freedom of the individual is paramount. No one should be able to tell you what you can eat, drink, smoke, or marry, or what kind of gun you can own. We don’t want to be snooped on by an all-knowing big brother government. That is the essence of liberty. The Republican Party has become both a party of big government but also an authoritarian party that would tell us how to live.

That the Republican Party can only produce Mitt Romney who was an independent during the Reagan-Bush years (and only converted to conservatism after serving one term as governor never intending to run for re-election while always planning to run for president), Newt Gingrich, a thrice married ego-maniac with delusions of grandeur and Rick Santorum, a religious fanatic, who would tell other people how to live, as presidential candidates proves the GOP may be going the way as the Whigs.

I fervently hoped that Donald Trump would run for president. Trump is a big thinker, with the kind of toughness and guile you need to be a successful negotiator and a successful president. While it is popular among elites to snicker at Trump his connection to average Americans and working people cannot be denied. As Neil Cavuto of Fox Business News said “No one draws ratings like Trump.”

To put it bluntly the Republican Party is hopelessly f*cked up.

My first experience with the Libertarian Party was in New York where a small faction of anarchists held a state convention while refusing to allow all candidates access to the rules and a list of the voting delegates. Joe Stalin would have been proud of the tactics used to nominate a non-libertarian registered Republican who had only recently run as a candidate for the left-wing Green Party. But these childish tactics are not the norm in the largely democratic Libertarian Party. I have found Libertarian Party activists in California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Colorado, Washington, and Michigan have proven to be democratic, reasonable, dedicated and interested in victory.

The Libertarian Party stands for both economic and personal freedom. Libertarians oppose spending, debt, taxes, big government, and costly foreign wars where our national interests are not clear. We support a woman’s right to choose an abortion, gay marriage equality, and the legalization of marijuana.

The Ron Paul revolution shows me a Libertarian moment is coming. It will gather momentum in 2012 and most likely manifest itself in 2016. Ron Paul’s incredibly strong support among young voters is the tip-off. American voters have never been offered a presidential candidate who took conservative positions on fiscal issues like spending, debt, and taxes, while taking freedom-based (i.e. liberal) positions on choice, gay marriage, and drug-law reform. This is clearly where a majority of Americans are.

I voted for Ron Paul in the Florida Republican Primary in my last official act as a Republican. I leave the GOP with a heavy heart. Theodore Roosevelt left the party in 1912 and he came back. Ron Paul left the party in 1988 and he came back. I don’t think I will have the opportunity to come back. As the Republicans were to the Whigs in 1852, the Libertarians are to the Republicans.

Goodbye Grand Old Party.”

Roger Stone

After more than seven years on the South Florida airwaves, Bill Lewis – host of The Credit Report with Bill Lewis – has left his 9 o’clock morning drive time show on AM 1470 WWNN.

The Credit Report with Bill Lewis, a daily forum for business and financial news, politics, economic trends, and cutting edge issues, a daily radio talk show hosted by Bill Lewis has moved south on the dial and now airs on AM 740 WSBR weekdays at 7am.

Originally launched on AM 1400 WFTL in 2004, as the “Credit Restoration Consultants Hour,” Bill Lewis provided self-help tips and advice regarding credit repair, finances, and related topics. Throughout the years, Bill’s show strayed from the original concept of providing financial awareness to his listeners.

In an effort to strengthen his listener base and to broaden the topics hosted, Bill launched The Credit Report with Bill Lewis upon moving to AM 1470 WWNN within the Beasley Broadcasting group.  Listeners were searching for help regarding a myriad of topics from credit repair, extreme coupon shopping, and foreclosure matters, but welcomed the political format that Bill introduced locally to a south Florida audience. 

Guests this week on The Credit Report with Bill Lewis include:

Former prosecutor and Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney Jim Lewis will appear and discuss his candidacy for Broward State Attorney as the only Republican for this countywide office in 2012.  Lewis is challenging incumbent Michael Satz and Chris Mancini, a former federal prosecutor turned defense attorney.  Mancini switched his voter registration from independent to Democrat so he could run against Satz in the party’s primary.  Lewis will face the winner of the August primary.

Chairman Richard DeNapoli of the Broward Republican Party will appear and discuss initiatives to expand candidate awareness through social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. 

Tom Lauder of Red Broward will appear and discuss his political blog where “Making Broward See Red” is not such a hard job.

Foreclosure defense attorney Carlos Reyes will appear and discuss the latest developments in the mortgage foreclosure crisis. After nearly a year of negotiations, federal and state officials and five major mortgage servicers (Ally Financial, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, and Wells Fargo) have announced a $25 billion settlement over alleged foreclosure and mortgage loan-servicing abuses.

Brian Walsh of Wings Plus in Coral Springs will appear and discuss recent appearances by presidential candidates Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich and how his establishment has become “the place to go” for political candidates in south Florida.

Republican Party of Broward County Executive Director Rico Petrocelli will appear and discuss initiatives to grow the local party and upcoming events.

Jennifer Cabrera will appear from Saudi Arabia and discuss her efforts on behalf of Planet Beach Contempo Spa to introduce that brand to the country.  Cabrera did not take the traditional road to spa ownership. After years in corporate sales, Cabrera wanted to own her own business. A member of Planet Beach, she heard about the Ms. Planet Beach Gen X contest and a grand prize package that included a free license. Cabrera is now a proud franchisee in North Miami Beach, Florida.

Fort Lauderdale philanthropist and serial entrepreneur Jamie McDonnell will appear and discuss his latest celebrity STOP Burger – the Jake Miller Burger.  Jake is a singer, rapper, musician and songwriter who has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the music industry. Jake Miller Music distributed a few homemade music videos on YouTube late 2010, and attracted the attention of music business insiders.

Bill Burke of Paradise Bank will appear and discuss how his three branch bank reached a significant milestone in its six year history by becoming the top Small Business Administration (SBA) community bank lender in the state of Florida.

Since the show’s inception, Bill Lewis has interviewed some of the country’s leading politicians, including: Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Herman Cain, Chris Christie, Jon Huntsman, Allen West, Rick Scott, George LeMieux, Jeff Atwater, Adam Putnam, Pam Bondi, Marco Rubio, Sharon Day, Alex Sink, Adam Putnam, Charlie Crist, Bill McCollum, Jeff Kottkamp, Jennifer Carroll, Christine O’Donnell, among others.

In addition, The Credit Report with Bill Lewis has hosted a number of politicians as well as attorneys and financial experts in the south Florida area.  Among the dozens that have appeared on the show are Carlos Reyes, Al Lamberti, Chip LaMarca, Adam Hasner, Ellyn Bogdanoff, Tom Rooney, Lori Parrish, Richard Denapoli, Rico Petrocelli, Jamie McDonnell, Jim Lewis, Tom Lauder, and John Contini.

The Credit Report with Bill Lewis airs live, Monday through Friday from 7am-8am with an encore presentation Saturday’s at 3pm on AM 740 WSBR.  Streaming audio is available at http://www.wsbrradio.com and on air participation is welcome at (888) 721-0074.

If you miss the early broadcast, The Credit Report with Bill Lewis is still available weeknights at 9pm and Sunday’s at 1pm on AM 1470 WWNN by streaming audio at http://www.wwnnradio.com.

For daily updates on The Credit Report with Bill Lewis, you can join Bill’s 35,950 plus fans on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/thecreditreportwithbilllewis.

Provocative entrepreneur Bob Davids will appear and speak his mind on America, leadership and what the future holds.  Bob has launched six highly successful companies over the course of his career including Radica Games, the third most profitable toy maker in the world; launching Sea Smoke, his world-class vineyard located in Central California (featured in the Academy Award-winning movie “Sideways”); and his latest venture, “Villa Keliki”, a luxurious 8,000 square meter resort located on the breathtaking island of Bali.

Former presidential appointee and elections attorney Gineen Bresso will appear and discuss her candidacy to represent Florida’s 20th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Bresso is challenging Democratic National Committee Chair and incumbent Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

Former prosecutor and Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney Jim Lewis will appear and discuss his candidacy for Broward State Attorney as the only Republican for this countywide office in 2012.  Lewis is challenging incumbent Michael Satz and Chris Mancini, a former federal prosecutor turned defense attorney.  Mancini switched his voter registration from independent to Democrat so he could run against Satz in the party’s primary.  Lewis will face the winner of the August primary.

Tom Lauder of RedBroward will appear and discuss his political blog where “Making Broward See Red” is not such a hard job.

Foreclosure defense attorney Carlos Reyes will appear and discuss the latest developments in the mortgage foreclosure crisis. After nearly a year of negotiations, federal and state officials and five major mortgage servicers (Ally Financial, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, and Wells Fargo) have announced a $25 billion settlement over alleged foreclosure and mortgage loan-servicing abuses.

Republican Party of Broward County Executive Director Rico Petrocelli will appear and discuss initiatives to grow the local party and upcoming events.

Jennifer Cabrera will appear and discuss her departure for Saudi Arabia on behalf of Planet Beach Contempo Spa.  Cabrera did not take the traditional road to spa ownership. After years in corporate sales, Cabrera wanted to own her own business. A member of Planet Beach, she heard about the Ms. Planet Beach Gen X contest and a grand prize package that included a free license. Cabrera is now a proud franchisee in North Miami Beach.

The Credit Report with Bill Lewis airs live, Monday through Friday from 7am-8am with an encore presentation Saturday’s at 3pm on AM 740 WSBR.  Streaming audio is available at www.wsbrradio.com and on air participation is welcome at (888) 721-0074.

If you miss the early broadcast, The Credit Report with Bill Lewis is still available weeknights at 9pm and Sunday’s at 1pm on AM 1470 WWNN by streaming audio at www.wwnnradio.com.

For daily updates on The Credit Report with Bill Lewis, you can join Bill’s 39,950 plus fans on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thecreditreportwithbilllewis.

“The Credit Report with Bill Lewis,” a daily forum for business and financial news, politics, economic trends, and cutting edge issues, a daily radio talk show hosted by Bill Lewis has moved south on the dial and now airs on AM 740 WSBR weekdays at 7am.

Originally launched on AM 1400 WFTL in 2004, as the “Credit Restoration Consultants Hour,” Bill Lewis provided self-help tips and advice regarding credit repair, finances, and related topics. Throughout the years, Bill’s show strayed from the original concept of providing financial awareness to his listeners.

In an effort to strengthen his listener base and to broaden the topics hosted, Bill launched The Credit Report with Bill Lewis upon moving to AM 1470 WWNN within the Beasley Broadcasting group.  Listeners were searching for help regarding a myriad of topics from credit repair, extreme coupon shopping, and foreclosure matters, but welcomed the political format that Bill introduced locally to a south Florida audience. 

“We’re excited that Bill is moving down the dial and remaining with Beasley Broadcasting,” stated general manager, Bob Morency.  “After seven years on AM 1470 WWNN, he should fit right in on AM 740 WSBR.”

Since the show’s inception, Bill Lewis has interviewed some of the country’s leading politicians, including: Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Herman Cain, Chris Christie, Jon Huntsman, Allen West, Rick Scott, George LeMieux, Jeff Atwater, Adam Putnam, Pam Bondi, Marco Rubio, Sharon Day, Alex Sink, Adam Putnam, Charlie Crist, Bill McCollum, Jeff Kottkamp, Jennifer Carroll, Christine O’Donnell, among others.

In addition, The Credit Report with Bill Lewis has hosted a number of politicians as well as attorneys and financial experts in the south Florida area.  Among the dozens that have appeared on the show are Carlos Reyes, Al Lamberti, Chip LaMarca, Adam Hasner, Ellyn Bogdanoff, Tom Rooney, Lori Parrish, Richard Denapoli, Rico Petrocelli, Jamie McDonnell, Jim Lewis, Tom Lauder, and John Contini.

The Credit Report with Bill Lewis airs live, Monday through Friday from 7am-8am with an encore presentation Saturday’s at 3pm on AM 740 WSBR.  Streaming audio is available at http://www.wsbrradio.com and on air participation is welcome at (888) 721-0074.

If you miss the early broadcast, The Credit Report with Bill Lewis is still available weeknights at 9pm and Sunday’s at 1pm on AM 1470 WWNN by streaming audio at http://www.wwnnradio.com.

For daily updates on The Credit Report with Bill Lewis, you can join Bill’s 35,950 plus fans on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/thecreditreportwithbilllewis.

Former presidential appointee and elections attorney, Gineen Bresso, is set to announce Monday her candidacy to represent Florida’s 20th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Bresso, 39, is challenging Democratic National Committee Chair and incumbent Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

“I am prepared to work to restore fiscal responsibility, remove barriers to economic growth, and take the voice of the people to Washington D.C,” stated Bresso.  “Currently, the nation is facing significant troubles with a debt in excess of $15 Trillion and a staggering $1.1 Trillion deficit.”

Bresso was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S Senate on October 2, 2008 to serve on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). 

In 2009, Bresso served as Chair of the EAC.  In contemplation of a Congressional run, she resigned recently after asking President Barack Obama to withdraw his nomination of her to serve a second term.

Prior to her appointment to the EAC, Bresso served as the Director of Legislative Operations and Counsel for the Committee on House Administration in the U.S Congress. Previously, she served as a policy advisor to former Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., and worked as an attorney-advisor for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where she reviewed and processed applications for federal trademark registration.

Bresso has also served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Arrie W. Davis, in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.

Bresso received her Juris Doctor from Western New England College School of Law in 1999 and her Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1995.

“Even with a late entry into an already crowded field, thanks to her vast governmental experience, Bresso immediately becomes a top contender,” stated Tom Lauder of RedBroward.  “Debbie Wasserman-Schultz has never faced such an impressive group of GOP candidates.  She’s in for the political fight of her life.”

Bresso faces Ozzie Defaria, Juan Eliel Garcia, Joe Goldner, Karen Harrington, and Joe Kaufman in an August Republican primary. 

“It’s time to govern responsibly and lead the nation to a more prosperous future,” concluded Bresso.

While the economy has been showing some signs of improvement, your good name and reputation is becoming more important within the community. Creditors have tightened their guidelines effectively barring millions of Americans from borrowing money.

Mortgage lenders, auto finance companies, credit card issuers and banks have all raised the bar. Borrowers with low FICO scores can expect to be denied or to pay significantly higher interest rates than those with excellent histories.

Long gone are the days of obtaining credit, goods, benefits, services and/or employment with a 620 score. In most instances, a consumer will be denied if they maintain a credit score lower than 740. Even those with high credit scores have experienced closed credit card accounts and equity lines.  When an account has not been closed, credit limits have been reduced to the current balance due. 

The terms credit repair, credit restoration or credit rehabilitation are somewhat synonymous. Those with bad histories cannot afford to ignore the potential benefits of credit repair. In today’s economy, a strong FICO score is more important than ever. 

Approximately 78% of credit profiles in the United States contain some sort of error or omission materially impacting credit worthiness.  Absent self-help and the “do-it-yourself” approach, a consumer may hire a credit service organization (CSO) in the restoration of their good name and reputation within the community.

Most – but not all – CSO’s specialize in the restoration of consumer credit worthiness as well as identity theft issues.  Assuming that the credit repair company is performing within the law, they utilize laws enacted by Congress to dispute negative, erroneous, obsolete, and/or fraudulent information contained within your consumer credit profile.

Utilizing the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act, and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, a reputable CSO will assist in the submission of disputes electronically, verbally and in writing to the Equifax, Experian and Trans Union consumer reporting agencies.  Disputes are also submitted to creditors, collection agencies, third-party record providers and/or state, federal, local, and private regulatory authorities.

Unlike most credit repair clinics that submit the same written dispute letters monthly, a reputable CSO will have devised a strategy whereby disputes are submitted electronically, verbally and in writing over a long period of time to the credit reporting agencies, creditors, collectors, and third-party record providers reporting negative, inaccurate, obsolete and/or erroneous information.

Keep in mind that anything a CSO can do – you can do yourself for little to no cost. With that said, a reputable organization should have an edge as they will possess the education, knowledge and a source proven method that is generally unknown to the average consumer. 

A reputable CSO should have a provable track record of results as well as the ability to modify and/or remove erroneous or inaccurate judgments, liens, foreclosures, bankruptcies, short-sales, student loans, inquiries, derogatory tradelines, personal identifiers and other transient data from a consumer’s credit report. Although the credit restoration process can take anywhere from 30 days to six months, most individuals should see some results within the first 45 to 60 days.

Credit repair, credit restoration and/or credit rehabilitation is as legal as pleading “not guilty” in a court of law. With that said, one must understand that most CSO’s are not law firms and that their employees may not be licensed to practice law.  As such, even a reputable CSO cannot provide legal advice nor may they represent a consumer before any court or in any legal proceeding.  In the event that legal representation is required, the credit repair company should provide an appropriate attorney referral for consultation.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, as modified by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, consumers are entitled to a free copy of their credit report under a narrow set of circumstances.  If you have been denied credit, goods, benefits, services, insurance, and/or employment, the credit reporting agencies of Equifax, Experian and Trans Union are statutorily mandated to provide a copy free of charge.

Equifax can be contacted at (800) 685-1111 or www.Equifax.com;Experian can be contacted at (888) 397-3742 or www.Experian.com;and Trans Union can be contacted at (800) 916-8800 or www.TransUnion.com. Be sure to prompt that you were denied credit when requested to do so.

Absent these exceptions, consumers are entitled to one free “annual credit report” per year. Credit scores are not included with any of the “free credit reports” provided by the national credit reporting agencies.

For your free annual credit report, contact the central source at 877-FACT-ACT (877-322-8228) or www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Follow the voice prompts and obtain your credit report for review.

When self-help or the “do-it-yourself” approach is not feasible and you decide to hire a CSO to restore your credit, be sure to check them out.  While the majority of credit repair clinics are scams, a few good ones do exist.  Consumers can check out a credit service organization through their state Attorney General, the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov or through the Better Business Bureau at www.BBB.org.

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Like a bad dream, tax season is upon us once again. With two extra days to file your personal return this year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning against scammers that prey upon trusting Americans.

Earlier this month, the IRS announced that the 2012 due date for personal income tax return filings would be Tuesday, April 17. The traditional deadline — April 15th — falls on a Sunday. Also taken into consideration is the District of Columbia holiday — Emancipation Day — which falls on Monday, April 16.

Therefore, the extra two days to file your personal tax return.

If you are surfing the Internet for the official site of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, do not mistakenly click on www.IRS.com. This website is privately owned by Banks.com and is not related to the governmental entity Americans have grown to love and respect.

Despite yearly warnings and stories of the unsuspecting falling victim to scams, the Internal Revenue Service is once again reminding taxpayers to be alert for predators who may contact them by email, telephone, fax or regular mail pretending to be from the IRS. They warn that “many of these scams fraudulently use the Internal Revenue Service name or logo as a lure to make the communication more authentic and enticing.”

In the form of a fake IRS email, this scam is known as phishing.

According to WHOIS, a widely used Internet record listing service that identifies domain owners and how to contact them, the IRS.com domain name was registered in 1999 by the seemingly legitimate Banks.com Inc. The banner headline on the homepage suggests an official association with the real Internal Revenue Service: “US Tax Center — Tax Information You Can Trust.”

The Internal Revenue Service, like all U.S. government agencies, uses the “.gov” top-level domain name and can be found at www.IRS.gov.

The IRS.com website is not affiliated with the federal government or the Internal Revenue Service despite the misleading “US Tax Center” headline. While the U.S. Tax Center seemingly appears legitimate, they are impossible to contact, offering no phone number or email address and only an online “contact us” form.

Several “how-to” related articles redirect to websites offering services that could make consumers deceptively believe they are dealing with the real Internal Revenue Service.

The goal of scammers is to trick unsuspecting victims into revealing personal information such as name, address, date of birth, Social Security, credit card or PIN numbers and other confidential information. With this information, scammers steal money or commit identity theft. Personal information should never be revealed until verification is made upon a legitimate request.

The Internal Revenue Service advises taxpayers on how to respond when they receive a suspicious email, telephone call, fax or letter:

1. The IRS does not request detailed personal and financial information like credit card or PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information.

2. The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through email and will not send a message about your tax account. If you receive an email from someone claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service or directing you to an IRS site; do not reply to the message, click on any of the links, or open any of the attachments.

3. The official IRS website is http://www.irs.gov. Do not be confused or misled by websites claiming to be the Internal Revenue Service but ending in .com, .net, .org, .us, or designations other than .gov. If you discover a website claiming to be the IRS but suspect it is bogus, do not provide personal information and report it to the IRS immediately.

4. If you receive an email, telephone call, fax or letter from an individual claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service, but suspect they are not, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine their legitimacy.

5. Become proactive in shutting down scams and prevent others from being victimized. Report scams and learn what to do if you have been victimized at http://www.irs.gov, keyword “phishing,” or email the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

Consumers who believe they have been victimized by an IRS scammer or identity thief should visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website at http://www.OnGuardOnline.gov. The Internal Revenue Service is one of the site sponsors.

With most returns being filed by the April 17 deadline, the IRS said it expects to receive more than 144 million individual tax returns this year.

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and many other major social media sites have policies regarding the death of its users. Are you familiar with them?

While losing a family member, friend, colleague, classmate or connection is often painful, imagine the reminder of the dearly departed when they appear on your Facebook Timeline, Twitter Feed, MySpace Stream or LinkedIn profile. This is especially so when the deceased user is received as a “friend recommendation” through mutual friends.

From the digital age of sending a simple email or text message to an age of information overload where we publish our entire lives through timelines, tweets or status updates, many social media users tell all and provide all. From photographs and blog posts to complete personal histories, our entire lives have become an open book.

Will your Facebook friends or Twitter followers know when you die? With MySpace itself dying a slow death, will anyone miss you or notice you gone? As for LinkedIn, a few too many profile views should reveal your dearly departed status.

As a social media guru with over 76,000 contacts spread across six social media networks, one of them – Barry Epstein, of Boca Raton, Fla. – advised that he was closing the accounts of his recently deceased son. Aware of the “memorial” policies of Facebook, I was prompted to investigate the various social media policies of deceased users’ accounts and what can be done to preserve, memorialize or delete them following death.

“I believe social media is really useful for memorializing the deceased,” stated Epstein. “No matter what happens at the memorial service, people are using social media as a way to deal with their grief, but in a way that funerals don’t allow.”

With over 1.1 million social media users dying annually, family, friends, social media providers and the Internet are left to deal with a deceased user’s digital bits. When we die, who takes control of our social media networks?

“The interactions of a person through social media are a facet of a life and supply some tangible evidence about what they valued and who they chose to interact with while alive,” said Daniel Forrester, author of “Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking in Your Organization.” “While the person has died, their digital life already has been imprinted with their permission and thus it should continue on.”

Facebook

Although Facebook was not the first social media provider to establish a policy for its 800 million users worldwide, it was the highest profile because of the way it addressed the issue. Rather than allow a family member to take control of a deceased user’s account, Facebook instead decided to take things a step further and allowed them to be deleted or memorialized.

A memorialized Facebook account preserves the deceased user’s online identity so that only confirmed friends can visit their profile to read about them, view photos and leave posts of remembrance.

When Facebook converts an account into a memorial, the deceased user no longer pops up in Facebook’s friend suggestions, thus we are not constantly reminded of their disappearance. The person’s profile automatically becomes private to everyone but confirmed friends. Personal identifiers and contact information are also removed to prevent hacking and to respect privacy.

To establish a Facebook memorial, a family member or friend completes a special contact form providing proof of death. This can include an obituary, news article or Internet link. Unlike other social media networks, Facebook allows non-family members to perform this task, which is helpful in situations where the deceased user’s friends are more Internet-savvy than family.

Twitter

Just as Facebook allows users to request an account be deleted or memorialized when a family member or friend has passed away, Twitter allows for a permanent backup of the deceased user’s public tweets or a complete account deletion.

Profiles of deceased users will no longer appear in the “Who to Follow” suggestion box and previously scheduled tweets are not published. At present, the profiles of deceased users look exactly the same as those of living users and can be followed and listed.

To establish a permanent backup or to delete a deceased user’s Twitter account, a family member is required to submit the user name or profile page link along with proof of death in the form of a public obituary or news article. Twitter also advises, “Please note that we cannot allow access to the account or disclose other non-public information regarding the account.”

MySpace

As one of the oldest social networks, MySpace has a deceased user policy that is more of a standardized policy of deletion rather than memorializing like Facebook or Twitter. In addition, MySpace does not adequately address privacy concerns and is susceptible to hacking.

To delete a MySpace profile, a family member must contact MySpace via e-mail with proof of death and the user’s unique identification number. A username or profile link is generally not acceptable.

“Unfortunately, we can’t let you access, edit or delete any of the content or settings on the user’s profile yourself, but we’ll be sure to review and remove any content you find objectionable,” reads MySpace’s policy.

This policy is not particularly helpful for older relatives that are not Internet-savvy and makes it almost impossible to remove a deceased user’s existence from MySpace.

Strangely enough, hackers may attempt to access a deceased user’s account without authorization. Contained on MySpace’s policy page is an admission that anyone with access to the deceased user’s email account can simply “retrieve the password through the ‘forgot password link’ and make necessary changes.”

LinkedIn

Unlike the personal social networks of Facebook, Twitter and MySpace where a family member or friend must make a death notification, anyone can notify LinkedIn about the profile of a deceased member.

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional business network with over 120 million members. According to LinkedIn, it will delete the profile of a deceased colleague, classmate or connection upon receipt of proof of death. There is no provision to memorialize the profile of a deceased LinkedIn user.

To delete the profile of a LinkedIn user, a “Verification of Death Form” must be submitted online, by fax to (402) 493-3548, or by mail to LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Ct., Mountain View, CA 94043. Proof of death in the form of a death certificate, obituary, news article or Internet link must be included.

LinkedIn is clear to point out that an email address registered to the deceased member’s account must be included. “Without this important piece of information, we will not be able to address your request.”

“You can argue that permanently archiving a digital life will allow some survivors to better reflect on the person and even discover new connections and insights that would have faded too quickly with only human memory,” concluded Forrester.