Welcome, Little Guys
There is a significant public industry which is growing like crazy. Those in this industry are offering to help "repair" people's credit records. Some of them promise to help people "erase bad credit", or "increase your credit rating" while all the time making other sensational promises of new, clean credit records. Such businesses have a tendency to deliver few, if any, results for the exorbitant fees they charge. The fact is: bad credit cannot be "erased". Yet there continue to be bona fide agencies which will help you get your credit and finances back on track. These "real" businesses are getting a bad rap from the scammers out there. Getting a New Social Security Number - The fact is individuals are only permitted to legally have one Social Security number. It is against the law to use a false Social Security number to create a false identity. Getting a Federal Employer Identification Number (abbreviated as EIN or FEIN) - The unscrupulous proponents of this "file segregation" scam claim that you can actually get a federal tax ID number, as though you were a business and then get a clean credit record under that particular tax ID number. It is illegal to use a Federal Identification Number to set up a false identity. A new credit report under an EIN will not show any credit history. It is highly unlikely that a creditor would actually consider a new business with no credit history as a good credit risk. Challenging Every Negative Entry on a Credit History - For the most part, it is lawful for credit agencies to keep accurate records of negative entries on your credit history for up to seven years. It is also legal for them to keep records of any bankruptcies for up to ten years. There are certain circumstances where actual negative information may be reported outside of those time periods. As much as you do not like having negative information on your credit report, the ability to object to inaccurate information is not meant to be a license to continuously harass honest creditors in an effort to remove accurate negative entries. "If you have declared bankruptcy, you can't get credit for ten years" - In all actuality you can start building a positive credit history as soon as your bankruptcy is resolved. While most creditors will be cautious at first, it is possible that one can gradually demonstrate fiscal responsibility, and rebuild a credit history that can lead lenders and creditors to view them as decent credit risks. This can occur long before the bankruptcy drops from your credit history. It is advisable that you do not use any credit repair company that does not follow its industry standards or regulations. Do not use a credit repair company that offers to "expunge bankruptcies", to remove true and accurate negative information from your credit history, or to obtain credit for you regardless of your poor credit history. Do not use a credit repair company that promises to exploit "secretive" or "little known" loopholes in the regulatory system in order to remove information from your credit history. Do not use a credit repair company unless it agrees to provide you with a written disclosure of your rights in relation to your credit history prior to asking you to sign a contract. The contract should include all the terms and conditions of payment, a detailed description of the services to be provided, including any guarantees of performance and an estimate of how long it will take to perform the contract. The agreement should also include a right for you to cancel within three days, in case you decide against the contract. Do not use a credit repair company that attempts to charge money prior to its performing the credit repair services. Do not use a credit repair company that discourages you from directly contacting the major credit bureaus. Although this process can be arduous, it is really quite simple to object to inaccurate information on your credit history. After you obtain a copy of your credit report, you should review it for any inaccuracies. If you don't understand some or any of the entries on the report, ask the credit reporting agency to explain them to you. Once you have identified any inaccurate entries, notify the credit bureau about the portions that you believe to be in error, providing as much information as you can about the error. An example might be if you paid a debt which is reflected on your credit report as delinquent. In this case you may wish to provide a copy of a cancelled check reflecting the payment(s). Once you make the report, the credit agency is responsible to investigate any errors with no expense to you, and to either verify the information in the credit report or to remove any information that is inaccurate or which cannot be verified. You may also contact creditors directly, to let them know of any mistakes, and to ask that they correct their records and forward the updated and accurate information to the credit reporting agencies. If you are unable to obtain the removal of information from your credit report, and still object to its inclusion, you may submit a written objection, of up to 100 words in length, to the credit reporting agency, explaining your side of the story. The explanation will be included in your credit report, and will be distributed to anybody who obtains a copy of the report. If you wish to obtain copies of your credit reports, the major credit reporting agencies are: Equifax
1-800-685-1111
http://www.equifax.com/
Experian
1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
http://www.experian.com/
Trans Union
1-800-916-8800
http://www.transunion.com/
There are also services which will provide a "combined credit report", which lists the entries of all three agencies. If you wish to thoroughly review your credit history, it can be beneficial to obtain a combined report 
Credit Repair Scams
Common Credit Repair Scams
Common Misrepresentations by Credit Repair Companies
Warning Signs of a Bad Credit Repair Company
Removing Inaccurate Information From Your Credit History
How Do I Contact The Major Credit Bureaus?