Look for red flags! A real company won’t promise to delete true, negative information from your credit report. They also won’t ask you to pay a big fee before they do any work for you. Legitimate help is available, often for free. If a company tells you to lie on applications or create a new “credit identity,“ run the other way. That’s illegal, and you could get into serious trouble.

Missing a payment is one of the worst things you can do for your credit with a car loan. Even one late payment can seriously hurt your score and will stay on your credit report for seven years. The lender may also charge you late fees. It tells future lenders that you might not be reliable. Always set up reminders or automatic payments to make sure you never miss a due date.

Start by stopping new charges on that card. Then, focus on paying more than the “minimum payment” every single month. Even a little extra helps! You could also call your card company and ask for a higher credit limit—if you don’t spend more, this automatically lowers your utilization percentage. Another option is to look for a balance transfer card with a 0% interest offer, but only if you’re sure you can pay it off during the promotional period.

When you look at your report, focus on three things. First, check that all your personal information is correct. Second, look at the list of your accounts and loans to make sure they are all yours and the details are right. Third, and most important, look for any late payments listed. If you see accounts you don’t recognize, late payments you think you made on time, or wrong personal info, you need to fix those errors.