Experian’s “Ask Max” credit advice column http://www.experian.com/ask_max/ Ask Max is the credit reporting industry’s first online consumer credit advice column. en-us Wed, 14 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT Copyright 2008, Experian http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 1440 Impact of mortgage "short sale" on your credit report http://www.experian.com/ask_max/max051408a.html?rss=1 Wed, 14 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT Some people are saying a "short sale" is better than a "foreclosure" on a credit report, but is that true? Don't both circumstances drop the credit score significantly?

]]> Credit scores not hurt by reports from credit monitoring services http://www.experian.com/ask_max/max051408b.html?rss=1 Wed, 14 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT Is there any service I can subscribe to that will allow me to access my credit reports anytime without taking a "hit" on my scores.

]]> High credit scores do not increase your risk of identity theft http://www.experian.com/ask_max/max051408c.html?rss=1 Wed, 14 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT Does having a high credit score put you more at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft?

]]> What to do when items are stolen from your car http://www.experian.com/ask_max/max051408d.html?rss=1 Wed, 14 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT Last night, a fairly sophisticated ring apparently swept through my neighborhood stealing from cars. Unfortunately, my wallet was stolen with my driver’s license, and yes, stupidly, my Social Security card.

Worse, an external hard drive was also taken that had tons of personal, financial information. While much of it was in a password protected document, there was also several years’ worth of statements from many of my accounts.

What is the best way to protect yourself if you feel someone may have every bit of information they would need including account numbers, Social Security numbers, etc? How can you feel secure beyond the initial 90 days?

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