You may have seen HBO's new docuseries "Telemarketers."  It's a fascinating deep dive into the world of telemarketing, showing the tactics they use and the people behind the calls. It's a must-watch for anyone wanting to understand why these calls keep coming and what can be done about it. But what can you do if the world of Telemarketers comes calling on your cell phone?   And why, despite the government's best efforts, are they still buzzing our lines? First off, telemarketing is like playing the lottery. They're dialing for dollars and for every thousand folks who hang up, there ..read more

Owning a home is a dream come true for many of us. However, it also comes with its own set of challenges, and dealing with mortgage servicers is one of them. A mortgage servicer is simply the company that you pay your mortgage payments to. While they generally keep decent records, they can still make mistakes like sending a statement with the wrong amount owed, unexplained charges, and failing to credit a payment. If you've ever noticed an issue with your mortgage statement, it probably caused you some alarm. Maybe your mortgage servicer misapplied your payment. Or, you were charged fees for ..read more

It's a question that many car buyers ask themselves: Can a car Dealer lie to me? Like many things in life, the answer is not entirely clear. Except in a few situations, car dealers are not required to tell you the truth, and they can take advantage of this fact. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common lies that car dealers tell their customers, and what you can do to protect yourself from being taken advantage of (and what you can do when you are). Car dealers don't have to tell you everything. In fact, they're legally allowed to withhold some information from you if they t ..read more

Repossession is a process in South Carolina that allows a lender to take back a car when a borrower defaults on the loan or lease payments or some other condition of the loan (like keeping up collision insurance).   While a lender does not need a court order to do this, they may take a specific action that can be considered wrongful —  and create potential legal claims by the borrower. Here are the “Big 4” “No-No’s” for lenders repossessing cars in South Carolina.  Breach of the Peace Lenders are prohibited from using force or threats of violence to repossess a car in South ..read more

Are you a Data Breach Victim? ID Theft Victim? Both??  -- When to Call the Cavalry. Happy Anniversary South Carolina Taxpayer! October 10, 2022 marked 10 years since the South Carolina Department of Revenue was hacked by cybercriminals, who made off with 3.6 million social security numbers and at least 387,000 credit and debit card numbers. There's a (REALLY) good chance that at least your social security number, at the very least, was taken, since 3.6 million was about 3/4's of South Carolina's population in 2012. Congratulations, data breach victim! Since 2010, you've no doubt gotten ot ..read more

  What to do if your client experiences ID theft There may come a day when you’re in your office minding your own business and a client walks in with an identity problem. They know exactly who they are and so does someone else. They’re victims of identity theft. And they’re worried about what to do next. You may be a little worried too. Here’s how to handle these cases like an expert ID theft lawyer.  ID thieves typically will divert account statements from the rightful owner’s mailbox. As a result, most victims of identity theft first learn of the crime when they are contacted by a ..read more

The inventiveness of criminals never ceases to amaze me. I remember back in the good old days when I just used to get emails from the imprisoned sons of Nigerian oil ministers, sending me heartrending pleas for aid that (invariably) started with the words "Dear Friend." How quaint were the days when you could see scams coming from 4,000 miles away! Unfortunately, those days are gone. The crooks have upped their game. Substantially.  Although the variety of scams is endless, they all, at heart, rely on one thing -- a means of payment that is not only hard to trace but - once payment is se ..read more

What's a security freeze? A security freeze, also known as a credit freeze, is when you instruct the credit reporting agencies not to release your credit report or score to anyone without your say so. This is the single most effective way to protect yourself from identity thieves. Why? because most identity theft - at least for anyone trying to open new credit in your name -- starts with the identity thief making a credit application in your name, using your personal information. In order to grant that credit, most banks, lenders, and finance companies will then pull your credit report. If the ..read more

Download our FREE guide on how to dispute your credit report What is a credit report and why dispute it? If you're like most people, you’ve heard of credit reports, but you may not know exactly what one is. A credit report is a record of your borrowing and repayment history. It includes information about how much money you've borrowed and how on time (or not) you've been with making repayments. If you've ever applied for a loan or credit card, the lender has likely checked your credit score and report. How can I correct mistakes on my credit report? First, know how important it is that ..read more

If you have a client who is dealing with mixed credit file issues, you need to act immediately. A mixed credit file can cause many problems for your client, including difficulty in obtaining loans or mortgages. In this blog post, we will discuss what a mixed credit file is and how lawyers can help their clients deal with the problem. What is a mixed credit file? A mixed credit file is a credit report that contains information from two consumers and combines them into a single credit report. Let's say you have a client named "Sally Emily Smith." Sally's credit SHO ..read more