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Denise Richardson C.I.T.R.M.S.
Denise Richardson Quick Facts
Main Areas: Identity Theft , Credit Reporting and Debt Industry, Lender Errors, Consumer ProtectionBest Sellers: Give Me Back My Credit -A Books-Authors.net Best Audio Book and Best Finance Book for 2007
Career Focus: Consumer Advocacy and Protection, Networking, uniting consumers with advocates and helpful products and services
Affiliation: National Association of Consumer Advocates, ACCESS, Americans For Fairness in Lending, National Association of Female Executives, Powerful You,
Denise is a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist, Founder of Give Me Back My Credit.com and long time Consumer Advocate. She's a member of NACA, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, and Board Member of ACCESS, American Consumer Credit Education Support Services, a 501 (3) (c) non-profit organization, dedicated to educating consumers on issues of credit and privacy rights.
Denise is also an Author who turned her life experiences into her first book Give Me Back My Credit, a Memoir and handbook in one and designed to humanize and expose the incredulous lengths innocent consumers must go through, in order to simply retain and reclaim their true credit and identity.
As an advocate for consumer education, Denise has partnered with the Federal Trade Commission and is promoting their Deter, Detect and Defend Campaign as well as a partner of AFFIL, Americans For Fairness In Lending whose efforts focus on protecting consumers from predatory lending practices.
Denise is also co-host of SpotLight, a consumer orientated internet talk radio show on the Blog Talk Radio Network. SpotLight provides informative shows that both lend a voice to the consumer and helps raise awareness to consumer friendly products, services and experts.
Denise's steadfast passion to educate the public on the consequences of being complacent when it comes to fraud, identity theft and consumer protection matters, has been paramount in her life for more than a decade.
She is a contributing writer for the Sun Sentinel newspaper's online editorial blog -Talk Back South Florida and writes a monthly Identity Theft Column for Lighthouse Point, a South Florida Magazine. She continues to field letters and openly welcomes email from the public who may be seeking guidance, support, educational material or just wish to share their story.
Watch for the launch of her brand new website. Soon she will offer updated versions of Give Me Back My Credit as E-books in both English and Spanish.
Visit Denise's blog for tips, scam alerts and consumer news.
Please go to the Tell Your Story page or simply Email your personal stories about an identity theft, credit reporting issues, abusive debt collection practices, mortage servicing questions, or whatever concerns you!
Other Programs & Highlights
See What people are saying about Give Me Back My Credit!
Jacket blurbs:
"Denise Richardson's story has important lessons for all Americans. It's the
story of a consumer who faced hardships created by credit bureau errors,
mortgage servicing errors, abusive debt collectors and identity thieves. She
learned, fought back and won. Now she's a consumer champion with a book
that's a first-person story and a consumer handbook in one, with lessons for
everyone who wants to win against corporate and financial predators. Buy it
and then fight back yourself!"
Ed Mierzwinski, Consumer Program Director
U.S. Public Interest Research Group
"Give Me Back My Credit is a book that every American consumer must read.
Denise exposes the truth about how our nation's credit system really works
and how our consumer protection rights have slowly, but intentionally been
wiped away by corporate greed and government acceptance. In a clear and
simple voice, Denise teaches everyone how they can try to protect their
rights and how we must collectively fight back to get back our rights and
our credit!"
Ira Rheingold, Executive Director and General Counsel
National Association of Consumer Advocates
"Denise Richardson is a living answer to the question of what can happen to
an American when the systems that keep track of who owes what to whom
completely break down. Like most of the countless consumers harmed each year
by errors that corporations can't or won't fix, Denise suffered enormous
personal and financial harm when computer systems began to misreport her
data. Unlike most other people, however, Denise set out to understand
exactly how and why such mistakes occur, and then took on the system. Her
story of personal courage and resilience is not only inspiring, but the
hard-learned lessons she clearly articulates in this book can help many
other consumers protect themselves from widespread mistakes that are all too
often afflicted by America's credit reporting system."
F. Paul Bland, Jr., Staff Attorney
Public Justice
A few additional endorsements...
Admiring the Sheros Among Us: Viva Denise Richardson
Give Me Back My Credit is a must-read book... Denise Richardson is "a Shero
in the war against the credit squeeze. Her battle to get back her credit is a
heroic story filled with tips on fighting back. Go Denise!"
Danny Schechter, Director of In Debt We Trust
Co-Founder & Executive Producer Globalvision, & MediaChannel.org
"Denise's hallmark is her infectious passion that irrefutably comes from her
heart. Her dedication and continuous efforts to put the "fair" back in "fair
credit reporting", raise awareness to consumer problems, and reach out to
make a difference for others are commendable and have demonstrated to be
invaluable."
Jim Malmberg, Executive Director, ACCESS
American Consumer Credit Education Support Services
"We have personally watched with admiration Denise's struggles as she fought
back against credit reporting errors, corporate greed, and total
indifference. She has important information and insights to share, and her
story will certainly inspire people everywhere to take back control of their
credit and their lives."
Founders,
Creditboards.com
Find my mspace at myspace.com/givemebackmycredit
Favorite Quotes & Thoughts from Denise Richardson
When it comes to your identity -what you don't know will absolutely hurt you!
The best way to prevent an identity theft -is to prepare for one!
Practice random acts of kindness. Just one act of generosity can change the path of a life.
Remember to reach down to pick somone else up!
Getting Started With Denise Richardson
My name is Denise Richardson, and Give Me Back My Credit is my story.
It’s not a thesis. It is a blow-by-blow recounting of my own personal ride through a series of cataclysmic errors caused by corporate Goliaths and identity thieves.
It takes place in a land where credit bureaus claim to be right and it's up to you to prove them wrong –and prove your innocence. I did, but it took years!
The ride was not a merry one, but it was definitely a trip filled with life altering lessons that transformed my once ordinary life, into a life of advocacy with true grit style determination to educate others on the need to proactively protect their identity.
What better way to do it, than paint a picture.
Identity theft became a growing concern of mine -and a concern of millions of innocent consumers as the crime continued to flourish and affect people world-wide. I knew all too well the high price paid by innocent consumer when credit reports are laced with fraud or inaccurate information.
The sinister and frustrating effects felt by an identity theft victim are often directly linked to the inexplicably flawed credit reporting industry. The number one reported complaint by consumers is their inability to correct fraudulent or erroneous data in their credit reports–even after many exhaustive attempts to prove their innocence. The mere mention of identity theft makes palms sweat and hearts pound.
My life experiences paint a frighteningly clear picture of the nexus between identity theft and an industry that many believe, exacerbate much of the problems. The point of my story is not to say “Hey, look at me I am a victim”…rather it’s about saying Hey! Look what happens if you don’t actively protect your credit and identity!
As a consumer, turned advocate, and later a victim of identity theft, I am passionate about using my life experiences and knowledge gained though them, to validate and humanize the hefty toll it takes on innocent consumers when trying to reclaim their credit and identity.
Several months after Give Me Back My Credit was published, thieves would yet again enter my life. I quickly realized that because our information is often sold by thieves, to multiple thieves, odds are pretty good -if your identity is stolen once, it will happen again.
Knowledge is our best defense!
Here in South Florida, we know the drill when it comes to hurricane season. We stock up on batteries, buy canned goods, put up shutters, etc. We Have a plan of action! We prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
By being proactive and taking all possible precautions before the storm, we can effectively lessen the impact if one were to occur.
Identity theft needs to be viewed the same way.
The best way to prevent an identity theft is to prepare for one!
