Measures you can take to improve your credit score relatively quickly include paying down revolving consumer debts, such as credit cards or auto loans, using your debit card instead of your credit cards for future purchases, paying your bills on time every month and correcting any errors on your credit report.
But as more and more private consumer information is kept online, criminals are increasingly turning to the more serious fraud of identity theft, usingconsumer data to assume another person's identity and take out new credit cards or loans.