Consumer Fraud

Unlawful Debt Collection

For information on post-bankruptcy credit reporting problems, click here.

Good credit is perhaps the most important consumer currency in the new digital age. Paying bills on time, meeting financial obligations, making responsible credit decisions are all keys to developing a positive credit rating. However, all of this hard work can be undone by occurrences out of your control. Worse, it is often a time consuming and frustrating process to clean up your credit once you discover problems.

Baxter & Baxter -- Fair Credit Reporting Attorneys

Baxter & Baxter, LLP, is committed to working with consumers to ensure that their credit reports are accurate and current. We offer a range of services relating to credit reporting problems, including disputing inaccurate and obsolete credit information in credit reports, as well as consumer litigation for impermissible access of credit reports and failure of credit reporting agencies to remove inaccurate or obsolete credit information from your credit report.

False Credit Reports

The exponential rise in the use of consumer credit, and the increase in consumers with complaints about their credit reports has focused much attention and concern on consumer credit reports. The credit reporting industry, including the credit bureaus or credit reporting agencies, the credit grantors, and the credit information providers, are subject to their own federal statute, the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Identity Theft

With the advent of Internet e-commerce has come a growing awareness of credit identity theft. However, the fraudulent use of identifying information is not new. Consumers should certainly be very cautious about giving out credit card account numbers and other identifying information over the Web, but there are many other places criminals can obtain information about you. For example, some credit thieves steal mail from mailboxes, including checks sent out to pay bills, as well as credit card applications. Credit thieves can also obtain information from you by going through your garbage, such as bank and credit card statements. Some credit thieves are quite innovative -- in Oregon, a department store employee was arrested for using a credit card reader to scan customers' credit card accounts into her laptop.

Credit Reporting Problems

In spite of the nightly news coverage of credit identity theft, credit reporting problems can often be much more mundane. For example, a "merged" credit file can occur when two individuals have very similar identifying information. An easy example of a merged file is a father and son with the same first and last name. More often, however, it is not so simple. For example, John A. Smith's credit accounts (or "tradelines") may be reported onto John B. Smith's credit report. Sometimes, there is even less rhyme or reason to these errors. Credit reporting agencies use complex computer algorithms to attempt to match consumers with credit information from many different sources, and errors are not uncommon.

Obsolete Credit Information

In addition to inaccurate information, certain information which is deemed to be "obsolete" also may not be reported. In general, credit information which is over seven years old is obsolete under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Bankruptcy can be reported for ten years.

Baxter & Baxter, LLP, is able to represent consumers in credit reporting cases and unlawful debt collection cases in Oregon, in Baker County, Benton County, County, Clatsop County, Columbia County, Coos County, Crook County, Curry County, Deschutes County, Douglas County, Gilliam County, Grant County, Harney County, Hood River County, Jackson County, Jefferson County, Josephine County, Klamath County, Lake County, Lane County, Lincoln County, Linn County, Malheur County, Marion County, Morrow County, Multnomah County, Polk County, Sherman County, Tillamook County, Umatilla County, Union County, Wallowa County, Wasco County, Washington County, Wheeler County, Yamhill County.

Baxter & Baxter, LLP, is able to represent consumers in credit reporting cases and unlawful debt collection cases in Oregon, in Adair Village, Adams, Adel, Adrian, Agate Beach, Agness, Albany, Algoma, Alicel, Allegany, Aloha, Alpine, Alsea, Alvadore, Amity, Andrews, Antelope, Applegate, Arlington, Arock, Ash, Ashland, Ashwood, Astoria, Athena, Aumsville, Aurora, Austin, Azalea, Baker City, Bandon, Banks, Barlow, Barview, Bay City, Beatty, Beaver, Beavercreek, Beaverton, Belknap Springs, Bellevue, Bend, Biggs, Bingham Springs, Birkenfeld, Blachly, Black Rock, Blalock, Blodgett, Blue River, Bly, Boardman, Bonanza, Bonneville, Boring, Boyd, Breitenbush, Bridal Veil, Bridge, Bridgeport, Brighton, Brightwood, Broadbent, Brogan, Brookings, Brooks, Brothers, Brownsmead, Brownsville, Burns, Burnt Woods, Butte Falls, Buxton, Camas Valley, Camp Sherman, Canby, Cannon Beach, Canyon City, Canyonville, Carlton, Carpenterville, Carver, Cascade Locks, Cascadia, Cave Junction, Cayuse, Cecil, Cedar Hills, Cedar Mill, Celilo Village, Central Point, Champoeg, Charleston, Chemult, Cherry Grove, Cherryville, Cheshire, Chiloquin, Christmas Valley, Clackamas, Clatskanie, Cloverdale, Coburg, Colton, Columbia City, Condon, Coos Bay, Copperfield, Corbett, Coquille, Cornelius, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Cove, Crabtree, Crane, Crawfordsville, Crescent, Creswell, Crow, Culp Creek, Culver, Curtin, Cushman, Dairy, Dallas, The Dalles, Damascus, Danner, Days Creek, Dayton, Dayville, Deadwood, Dee, Deer Island, Denmark, Depoe Bay, Detroit, Dexter, Diamond Lake, Dillard, Dilley, Disston, Donald, Dorena, Drain, Drew, Drewsey, Dufur, Dundee, Dunes City, Dunthorpe, Durham, Durkee, Eagle Creek, Eagle Point, Echo, Eddyville, Elgin, Elk City, Elkton, Elmira, Elsie, Enterprise, Estacada, Eugene, Fairview, Fall Creek, Falls City, Fields, Flora, Florence, Forest Grove, Fort Klamath, Fort Rock, Fossil, Foster, Fox, Frenchglen, Friend, Gales Creek, Gardiner, Garibaldi, Gaston, Gates, Gearhart, Gervais, Gibbon, Gilchrist, Gladstone, Glenada, Glendale, Gleneden Beach, Glenwood, Glide, Goble, Gold Beach, Gold Hill, Goshen, Government Camp, Grand Ronde, Granite, Grants Pass, Grass Valley, Gravelford, Greenhorn, Gresham, Haines, Halfway, Halsey, Hamilton, Hamlet, Hampton, Happy Valley, Harbor, Hardman, Harlan, Harper, Harrisburg, Hebo, Helix, Helvetia, Heppner, Hereford, Hermiston, Hillsboro, Hines, Holland, Holley, Homestead, Hood River, Horton, Hoskins, Hot Lake, Hubbard, Huntington, Idanha, Idleyld Park, Imbler, Imnaha, Independence, Ione, Ironside, Irrigon, Island City, Jacksonville, Jamieson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jewell, John Day, Johnson City, Jordan, Jordan Valley, Joseph, Junction City, Juntura, Kamela, Keasey, Keizer, Keno, Kent, Kerby, Kernville, Kimberly, King City, Kings Valley, Kinton, Klamath Agency, Klamath Falls, Knappa, La Grande, La Pine, Lacomb, Lafayette, Lake Oswego, Lakecreek, Lakeside, Lakeview, Langlois, Laurelwood, Lawen, Leaburg, Lebanon, Lexington, Lincoln Beach, Lincoln City, Lime, Lonerock, Long Creek, Lookingglass, Lorane, Lostine, Lowell, Lyons, Mabel, Madras, Malin, Manning, Manzanita, Mapleton, Marcola, Marion, Marquam, Maupin, Mayger, Mayville, Maywood Park, McCredie Springs, McDermitt, McKenzie Bridge, McMinnville, McNary, Meacham, Medford, Medical Springs, Mehama, Merlin, Merrill, Metolius, Metzger, Midland, Mikkalo, Mill City, Millersburg, Millican, Milo, Milton-Freewater, Milwaukie, Minam, Minerva, Mission, Mist, Mitchell, Modoc Point, Mohawk, Mohler, Molalla, Monitor, Monmouth, Monroe, Monument, Moro, Mosier, Mount Angel, Mount Hood, Mount Vernon, Mulino, Multnomah Falls, Murphy, Myrtle Creek, Myrtle Point, Necanicum, Nehalem, Nesika Beach, Neskowin, Netarts, New Bridge, New Pine Creek, New Princeton, Newberg, Newport, Nimrod, North Bend, North Plains, North Powder, Norway, Noti, Nyssa, Oak Hills, Oakland, Oakridge, Oatfield, O'Brien, Oceanside, Odell, Olene, Olney, Ontario, Ophir, Oregon City, Orenco, Otis, Otter Rock, Oxbow, Owyhee Dam, Pacific City, Paisley, Parkdale, Paulina, Payette Junction, Pendleton, Perrydale, Philomath, Phoenix, Pilot Rock, Pine, Pine Grove, Pinehurst, Pistol River, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Pleasant Valley, Plush, Pondosa, Portland, Port Orford, Post, Powell Butte, Powers, Prairie City, Pratum, Prescott, Prineville, Progress, Prospect, Provolt, Rainier, Redland, Redmond, Reedsport, Reedville, Remote, Rhododendron, Rice, Rice Hill, Richland, Rickreall, Riddle, Riley, Ritter, Rivergrove, Riverton, Rockaway Beach, Rockcreek, Rogue River, Rome, Rose Lodge, Roseburg, Rowena, Roy, Ruch, Rufus, Saint Benedict, St. Helens, St. Joseph, St. Louis, St. Paul, Salem, Saginaw, Sandy, Scappoose, Scholls, Scio, Scottsburg, Scotts Mills, Seal Rock, Seaside, Selma, Seneca, Shady, Shady Cove, Shaniko, Shedd, Sheridan, Sherwood, Siletz, Siltcoos, Silver Lake, Silverton, Sisters, Sitkum, Sixes, Skipanon, Sodaville, South Beach, Sprague River, Spray, Springbrook, Springfield, Stanfield, Stayton, Sublimity, Sulphur Springs, Summer Lake, Summerville, Sumner, Sumpter, Sunriver, Sutherlin, Svensen, Sweet Home, Swisshome, Takilma, Talent, Tangent, Telocaset, Tenmile, Terrebonne, Tidewater, Tiernan, Tigard, Tillamook, Tiller, Timber, Toledo, Trail, Triangle Lake, Troutdale, Troy, Tualatin, Turner, Twin Rocks, Tygh Valley, Ukiah, Umapine, Umatilla, Umpqua, Union, Unity, Vale, Valley Falls, Valley Junction, Valsetz, Vanport, Veneta, Vernonia, Vida, Waldport, Walker, Wallowa, Walterville, Walton, Wamic, Wankers Corner, Warm Springs, Warren, Warrenton, Wasco, Wauna, Waterloo, Wedderburn, Welches, Wemme, Wendling, Westfall, West Linn, West Stayton, Westfir, Weston, Westport, Wheeler, White City, Whiteson, Whitney, Wilbur, Wilderville, Willamina, Willamette, Williams, Willow Creek, Wilsonville, Winchester, Winchester Bay, Winston, Wolf Creek, Wonder, Wood Village, Woodburn, Worden, Yachats, Yamhill, Yoncalla, Zena, Zigzag