Denise
Richardson
Denise
Richardson is a freelance writer,
Author and board member of American
Consumer Credit Education Support
Services, a non-profit organization
dedicated to educating consumers,
and responsible businesses, on
issues such as privacy rights,
credit reporting, and financial
fraud. She is a member of the
National Association of Consumer
Advocates, and Author who turned her
life experiences into her first book
humanizing and exposing the damaging
effects of identity theft,
inaccurate credit reporting,
mortgage servicing fraud and abusive
debt collectors. She strives to
educate the public on the need to be
proactive when it comes to
protecting their rights, their
identities, and their personal and
financial data from thieves
Visit
Denise online at
http://www.givemebackmycredit.com
"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 (U.S. PIRG)
"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 (NACA)
"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
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
(TLPJ)
PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up
and was reading and writing a part of your
life? Who were your earliest influences and
why?
Denise Richardson: I was born and raised
in New England and most of those years were
spent in Brattleboro -a beautiful small town
in Southern Vermont where I was lucky enough
to grow up in a typical Italian family where
Sunday's were spent at my grandparents home
devouring vast amounts of homemade pasta and
listening to countless sermons from my
grandmother (Nonie). She taught me through
her actions and strong convictions, to
believe in the power of faith and know that
"everything happens for a reason -you just
need to have faith that you will figure out
the reason. She often said the best rewards
in life are realized when we give of
ourselves to others - without expectations
for anything in return. A concept that
greatly rules my life today and one that
makes me recognize the scale of her powerful
influence.
I did write while
young... I religiously wrote in my diary to
empty out thoughts in my head that would
often consume me -until I could spill them
out on paper -a pattern that that still
holds true today!
My most precious memory of reading while
young… My sister and I would grab a book,
blanket and plastic pails and head off
through the woods to Riley's Dam, picking
blueberries by the pail full, all along the
way. Once we found a spot we liked, we would
lie out a blanket and relax under a tree by
the water and read our books while gorging
on handfuls of blueberries.
PageOneLit.com: Why did you write "GIVE
ME BACK MY CREDIT "?
Denise Richardson: Give Me Back My
Credit was born out frustration, passion and
an overwhelming sense of necessity to use my
story to encourage others to become
proactive when protecting their credit and
their identities. I looked at my life
experiences and realized that if my belief
of that old adage "everything happens for a
reason" was true, then the reason for the
last 15 years was staring me right in the
face. I needed to share my experiences and
lessons learned throughout my saga, if I
wanted to shed light on the problems and
work towards much needed change in the
industry. It was definitely an "aha moment".
PageOneLit.com:
You were a victim of 'Identity theft' --
Someone used your credit card to purchase a
$9K airline ticket.... How did this happen?
And do you find yourself continually on
guard against this type of fraud?
Denise Richardson: Just like so many id
theft victims -most often we never
definitively know how our information is
stolen. Once upon a time, we only had to
worry about keeping our wallets safeguarded
and in our physical possession. Now days,
our information is easily distributed,
stolen and unaccounted for in countless
databases that are often the target of
thieves.
My identity is valuable to me and so is my
time. I know that I have to be proactive if
I want to ensure my identity remains just
that...my identity. After writing my book I
was notified once again that someone
attempted to access my available credit from
a telephone call initiated out of Canada.
That's the day I determined that I simply
didn't want to go it alone anymore, I set
out to find and hire a service that would
actually take on the responsibility of
guarding my life, and more importantly to
me, take on the task of cleaning up the mess
-if it happened again. The truth is – it is
difficult to imagine the amount of time and
both physical and mental energy it takes to
deal with the effects of having your
identity stolen…until it happens to you! I
chose to pay a company called LifeLock to do
it for me–to see why read my blog How
Much value to you place on your free time?
http://www.givemebackmycredit.com/blog/2007/01/how_much_value_do_you_place_on.html
PageOneLit.com:
With 'GIVE ME BACK MY CREDIT' -- You have
become a passionate activist and an
entrepreneur. When you were younger did you
see any of this as your life path? How does
it feel helping others?
Denise Richardson: I can't say that
Advocate was on my career list when I was a
child. Originally I planned on becoming a
Doctor, until that is, I pricked my finger
sewing and passed out at the sight of blood.
I immediately knew that plan wasn't going to
work. I've always been drawn to people and
driven to finding a way to make a
difference. I just always struggled with how
to accomplish that strong desire and exactly
what it was I was suppose to be doing -I
just couldn't come up with an answer. In
school, I was always the kid that would go
out of my way to be kind to the kids that
were bullied or made to feel as outcasts. I
never understood why -and neither did a lot
of my friends, but it was definitely a part
of me as far back as I can remember. I know
that saying I love to help others sounds
like a cliché and even viewed as corny -but
that's what was instilled in me at a very
young age and though I still wish for more
direction -I've grown comfortable with it.
PageOneLit.com: In 'GIVE ME BACK MY
CREDIT' - You write 'Find your identity!'
Explain.
Denise Richardson: I believe who we are
today is dictated by a culmination of our
life experiences and sometimes we just need
to spend some time analyzing ourselves and
circumstances to figure it out. That's the
Virgo in me! When you find that answer -you
find your inspiration and your future path.
Your identity is your character, your
individuality and uniqueness. Once you
figure out who you are and then accept it
-you will inevitably find your path and with
it -your "aha moment".
PageOneLit.com: Why should someone buy a
copy of "GIVE ME BACK MY CREDIT"? What makes
your book stand out from others in the
genre? 'GIVE ME BACK MY CREDIT' is an audio
book as well -- Is the book and CD set the
same or do they work together? Explain?
Denise Richardson: Because unlike
most books written by schooled-consumer
professionals, I have actually been in the
trenches and fought my way out. I learned
what I know by attending the University of
Hard Knocks where I obtained a graduate
degree in "But You Can't Do That To Me."
My book is not a thesis. It is a
step-by-step recounting of my own personal
ride through Crazyland, where credit card
companies, and their lawyers, are always
right and it's up to you to prove them wrong
-and I did. The ride was a not merry one,
but it was definitely a trip filled with
life altering lessons that I provide at the
end of each chapter. The audio book is
pretty much the same -slightly altered and
updated as it was released a few months
after my book.
PageOneLit.com: In "GIVE ME BACK MY
CREDIT" you write that 'consumer protection
laws are eroding' and the laws we have are
filled with loopholes- Please explain.
Denise Richardson: Often time's
legislation is written with extremely
ambiguous language that can be easily
misinterpreted and twisted as easily as a
wire hanger by those who wish to escape
liability for their wrongs -regardless of
the intent or spirit of the law. Some
proposed legislation is often just a fox
dressed in sheep's clothing and though the
name of the proposed legislations may sound
favorable to us at the outset, once
scrutinized, it's often found to be simply a
ruse, designed to slip by the American
public's eyes, disguised as a consumer
protection measure.
Hypothetically speaking, if our legislative
representatives were to hire a contractor to
do repair work on their homes, and the
contractor drafted a binding contract
(especially one that required Arbitration if
they had a dispute) -a legal document that
spelled out the parties responsibilities, do
you think that they would review and analyze
every word prior to signing it (rightfully
so)? I would bet that the contract would not
only be concise, but loophole free.
We deserve no less. Shouldn't our consumer
protection laws looked at using that same
magnifying glass? Loopholes can be seen in
advance and can be closed and complex and
ambiguous wording can be clarified -if
that's what the intent is. For more on this
you can see my blog at
http://www.givemebackmycredit.com/blog/2006/10/do_americans_have_the_best_law.html
I do believe our
consumer protection laws are eroding as well
-and that belief is with good reason.
Special interest groups aggressively lobby
for legislation that would nullify stronger
state laws, and ultimately diminish our
ability to find accountability. They
continue to find ways to lock innocent
consumers out of the courtrooms through the
use of widespread "You can't sue me" clauses
that require consumers to agree to settle
any dispute that may arise through costly
arbitration.
By taking away our
access to the courts, and eliminating our
stronger state consumer protection laws,
corporations effectively remove any fear of
being held accountable and having their
wrongdoings exposed to the public. It harms
our justice system and eliminates the
effectiveness of our consumer protection
laws. Access to the courts is our most
effective means of holding corporate
entities accountable. Without that right
...what will deter less than reputable
companies from harming us with faulty and
substandard products? For more on this see
my blog at
http://www.givemebackmycredit.com/blog/2007/07/you_cant_sue_mefour_little_wor.html
PageOneLit.com:
In "GIVE ME BACK MY CREDIT" you write that
79% of credit reports contain mistakes -
That is alarming! From dealing with the Big
3 credit reporting agencies do you think
they care about this type of (off the
charts) stat? How difficult is it for
someone to get mistakes removed?
Denise Richardson: Yes …it is alarming
but widely reported as true. Do they
care…No! It often takes many attempts and
many years to clean up inaccuracies -in my
case more than a decade. But as bad as my
story is -it's not the worst nightmare I've
heard of -I just decided to tell my story!
More often than not, it literally takes an
Act of Congress to clear up erroneous
information in your credit report, whether
caused by inaccurate credit reporting or an
identity theft. I've often said I feel like
I'm an unpaid credit bureau employee, a type
of Quality Control Expert who's forced to
inspect, monitor and fix their product to
ensure it isn't defective and harmful to me!
Unfortunately, their product that they
profit from is me & you! It's our
information and the burden to safeguard it
falls on us! Normally, if a company was
negligent or their product harmed us we
would have the choice to boycott the company
-but we don't have that choice when it comes
to the credit industry. And ironically, any
other industry who sold defective products
would be sanctioned and ordered to remove
the products from the market until they were
fixed -by them! The credit industry is the
only industry I am aware of that can get
away with such a brilliant maneuver…sell a
product that the consumer is responsible for
both building and maintaining!
PageOneLit.com: What did you learn from
writing "GIVE ME BACK MY CREDIT"?
Denise Richardson: I've learned that
Nonie was right! Everything has a purpose
-we just need to find it. I do believe that
my life experiences were meant to be exposed
-it was a story that had to be told in order
to help others and validate those who have
been down similar roads -and there are many!
At times finding and holding on to my
identity has been an exhausting task, but I
know of no other way to be. It's a wrong, a
big wrong, and I have to attempt to right it
-and in this case "write" it.
PageOneLit.com: After reading "GIVE ME
BACK MY CREDIT" -- What has been readers'
feedback?
Denise Richardson: I love the feedback
-Many people write telling me their story.
Letters include words of appreciation for
showing them the importance of monitoring
their credit, and the need to protect
themselves -to letters offering thanks for
my speaking out and validating what they
currently are (or have been) going through.
I know first hand that often just reading
and hearing "you are not alone" can be both
inspiring and cathartic. Many notes relay
thanks for explaining in simple language the
jargon that frustrates many…my book reads
like a diary, with carefully inserted
lessons, and people appreciate that.
PageOneLit.com: What's next?
Denise Richardson: Continuing with new
and exciting projects, many sparked by
encouragement from consumers, advocates and
readers… various projects include internet
radio, joint ventures with other authors,
seminars, workshops and more translations.
I would love to work towards arming
college students with information that can
prevent them from graduating in deep debt
simply because they were unaware of the
dangers predatory lending, credit -debt and
identity theft. I also have a special
interest and drive to help families of the
military… they sacrifice so much, yet are
given so little leeway or help when forced
to make ends meet while struggling through
emotional and financial hardships.
PageOneLit.com: What was the last book
you read?
Denise Richardson: 527 Naked Men by
Barbara Silkstone The book reaffirmed for me
what you can do when you set your mind to
it. The author set out to interview 1,000
men about love and commitment. With no
training in psychology, she accomplished
listening to the emotional download of over
500 men - before she crumbled. It's a fun
and enlightening look at human nature and
the power of "I Can Do That!"
PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies?
What are they? How do they enhance your
writing?
Denise Richardson: Downtime is crucial
to writing -but not always easy to find. I
like to recharge my batteries by walking on
the beach, curled up on the couch watching a
great movie, listening to music, reading and
spending time with family and friends.
