I currently live in South Florida but will always be a New Englander at heart. I was born and raised in Vermont, before becoming a long time resident of Greenfield, Massachusetts where I worked for many years as a real estate paralegal handling mortgage closings and all the complexities that come with buying, selling and refinancing homes. I once carried the belief that if I paid my mortgage on time, just as I did my other bills, my credit rating would paint a true and accurate picture of who I was –a hardworking ordinary person that didn’t neglect the responsibility of paying bills on time.   I would soon learn that that belief was just a myth.   I also believed that if there were errors on my credit report, all I had to do was supply the documentation and necessary proof that it was paid, or not owed, whichever the case may be, and it would be cleared up.   That belief was shattered too.   With the shattering of those beliefs came a few other eye-opening realizations. I wasn’t alone –it just felt that way. I also realized that my many countless attempts to correct my erred credit reports were futile, forcing me to turn to the judicial system and find the necessary strength from the support of other victims.   After enduring a decade of mortgage accounting errors and erroneous credit –I mistakenly thought my troubles were over. But if that were true the debut of my first book –Give Me Back My Credit, would never have seen the light of day. When my epic 10 year battle came to a close and my credit was momentarily restored, I soon discovered bogus collection accounts were reflected on my credit report and with it came –five more unbearable years involving hundreds of grueling hours trying to restore my good name. It wasn’t until the enormity of the problem continued to wreak havoc in my life and after receiving much encouragement from consumers and advocates alike –did I finally decide to tell my story hoping to validate those who have walked in my shoes and provide steps to prevent it from happening to others.I   As a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist, and Founder of GiveMeBackMyCredit.com, I have partnered with the FTC to help educate the public on identity theft prevention, through their Deter, Detect and Defend program. I am member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, and an individual ally with Americans for Fairness in Lending, a coalition of non-profit organizations working to reform the lending industry in order to protect Americans' financial assets. I continue to work towards uniting consumers with their advocates in order to build a larger platform of voices to effect change.   I have enjoyed co-hosting an internet radio show called SpotLight, on the BlogTalk Radio Network while I continue to write articles on consumer issues for a variety of  print publications including a monthly Identity Theft Column for Lighthouse Point Magazine, a South Florida magazine, and as a contributing writer for the Sun Sentinel Newspaper's online Editorial Blog -South Florida Talks Back! I also write an array of articles as the Identity Theft Expert and Guide, for  Selfgrowth.com.   Visit my blog at GiveMeBackMyCredit.com/blog for tips on preventing identity theft, and avoiding becoming a victim of fraud.   You can also find me on a few social networking sites;  MySpace and LinkedIn and Twitter   Tell us your story on credit, debt, mortgage servicing and identity theft !  

“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 the mistakes that all too often are afflicted by America’s credit reporting system.”
F. Paul Bland, Jr., Staff Attorney
Public Justice


"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. So 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)