Related Services - The following company listings on the Debt Consolidation Loan Directory are offered to assist you with handling your credit card bills and other monthly payments. Also, in addition shop for other financial services ranging from credit card offers to home and car insurance.

• Debt Consolidation Services - Learn more on how consolidating your credit card debts can work for you and potential pitfalls that you need to avoid. Also, review a list services that offer to help people lower their bills into fewer payments or even one payment.
• Credit Card Debt Settlement - Are you finding yourself unable to meet your monthly budget because of too many credit card payments? Negotiating your debts may or may not be the right choice to get help with your financial situation. Compare programs designed for helping people with similar debt problems.
• Personal Loan Financing - Looking for a personal loan to consolidate your credit cards? These loans are usually unsecured, meaning you are not required to provide collateral. Approval is often based upon factors as your income, credit and job history.

Borrower Beware

How to Avoid Fraudulent or Deceptive Deals

Credit card fraud: Identity thieves steal personal information and apply for new credit cards or make counterfeit cards. Under federal law, if a thief uses your credit card or card number the most you are liable for is $50. Even so, ID theft in general can be costly to fix, and it can take months to repair the damage. Notify your card issuer about any problems as soon as possible to help limit your losses.

How can you avoid credit-related fraud or deception in general? "Deal with financial institutions or other companies you know or that you have independently verified as being legitimate," explained Randall Howe, a fraud specialist at the FDIC. When in doubt, he said, you may contact the FDIC for guidance or call your state or county's consumer protection office.

As for preventing credit card fraud, safeguard your personal and financial information and monitor your credit card statements and credit reports for signs that a thief has stolen your identity.

For more specific recommendations, go to www.fdic.gov/quicklinks/consumers.html.

FDIC Consumer News is published by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

FDIC Consumer News is produced quarterly by the FDIC Office of Public Affairs in cooperation with other Divisions and Offices. It is intended to present information in a nontechnical way and is not intended to be a legal interpretation of FDIC or other government regulations and policies. Mention of a product, service or company does not constitute an endorsement.

Find current and past issues of FDIC Consumer News at http://www.fdic.gov/consumernews. Refer to this same index to locate the issues that are specially formatted for being reprinted in any quantity.

To receive an e-mail notice about each new issue of FDIC Consumer News posted on the FDIC Web site, with links to stories, follow instructions posted at www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Last updated on 8/10/2007

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