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| By Greg Fisher

Credit.com

Employers do not use credit scores. Credit.com calls Benjamin Feldman an expert.

However, on ReadyForZero.com, where Feldman is a mere writer (actually, "Writer & Content Strategy") he makes the false statement, "These days, credit scores are becoming more and more important to each person's financial picture, as car companies, home loan companies, landlords, and sometimes even employers increasingly rely on credit scores to make decisions that affect our lives" (6/25/13).

Employers do not use credit scores. Not at all, and certainly not increasingly.

An item on TechCrunch (AOL) states, "And today, investors are putting even more of their money where the credit card debt is disappearing, giving ReadyForZero a fresh $4.5 million Series A."

Ready for Zero confirms it. Indeed, things seem to be going well for RFZ, but not for its readers, obviously.

Rod Ebrahimi (@InnovateBig on a social media website) refers to himself as "Consumer Advocate," and is the CEO and co-founder of ReadyForZero. And, his information is false.

Social science fiction

Once upon a time (last year), after some person at CNN.com wrote the titillating headline "Facebook friends could change your credit score," a bunch of others thought it would be a good idea to say the same thing. Like the dating thing was for a time, it was all the rage.

CNN can't even get basic American senatorial history right. #mediaerror - http://t.co/IX9hpWUprF

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) September 4, 2013

CNN has problems with truth, but that's another story.

In September, on Yahoo.com, Ebrahimi wrote: "Have you ever worried that your credit score could be damaged by your Facebook (FB) friends? It’s not a pleasant thought, but for better or worse it’s a scenario that all of us will likely face in the next decade when it comes to measuring creditworthiness."

Yikes.

Your Friends Or Your Credit Score: Will You Have to Choose? | Yahoo Finance http://t.co/DLzqhiioks via @YahooFinance @ReadyForZero

— Rod Ebrahimi (@innovatebig) September 21, 2013

@creditscoring wasn't exactly a prediction, I get where youre coming from. actual past performance will always be the leading indicator.

— Rod Ebrahimi (@innovatebig) September 24, 2013

@creditscoring "...increasingly dependent on the use of online data over the next decade." seems right to me. Thx for adding to red book ;)

— Rod Ebrahimi (@innovatebig) September 25, 2013

@innovatebig If this happened in a major industrial country, it would be decried as Big Brother and never make it past testing. #myth

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) September 26, 2013

.@lenddofriend Do you envision operating in the U.S. market?

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) September 27, 2013

.@ReadyForZero, while we wait for prophecy fulfillment https://t.co/86Jg9kiOX4, what's this about employers/scores? http://t.co/SFFRnRhdeZ

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) October 1, 2013

The winking ended, and things took a dark turn.

The Company He Keeps

This is about information; more specifically, misinformation and its spread. It is spread by people, not by some anonymous internet force. Yes, it is actually furthered by human beings, and sometimes you can find one of them and those who help him do it.

Q5: @ReadyForZero, who gave you the false idea that employers use credit scores? https://t.co/spclVGqNlW - #CreditChat - #falsity

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) October 2, 2013

.@BWFeldman, jump in any time. You wrote it: https://t.co/tRGaJvRgfv - #CreditChat - #falsity

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) October 2, 2013

@creditscoring Hey Greg, this is a good article about the topic: http://t.co/nwN95yaFSY. Have a good day!

— Benjamin Feldman (@BWFeldman) October 2, 2013

.@BWFeldman @readyforzero, your making no correction is a perfect example of the passive-aggressive behavior of a world of misinformation.

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) October 7, 2013

.@BWFeldman, I was just doing some follow-up, and--I had NO IDEA I was talking to an expert, Mr. Feldman! When did you become one? #experts

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) February 20, 2014

@CreditExperts As you know, employers don't use credit scores. When did @BWFeldman become an expert? https://t.co/WDjL8pYe3s @Adam_K_Levin

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) February 26, 2014

Employers do not use credit scores. However, Credit.com states, falsely, "If you’re applying for a job that requires a background check (credit bureau report, FICO score) and if you’re having difficulties right now or have experienced them in the recent past (closed accounts, charged-off balances, bankruptcy), I strongly urge you to have a candid discussion with your interviewer before the report is ordered" (10/3/2012).

@mitchelldweiss @CreditExperts Falsely, you refer to jobs requiring #creditscores. When did you become an #expert?http://t.co/tmDQ9WMN5U #CT

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) March 3, 2014

Update, 3/6/2014

The expert replies.

@creditscoring @CreditExperts you misread.Credit bureau reports influence more than FICOs. I know because I've run companies that did that.

— Mitchell D. Weiss (@mitchelldweiss) March 3, 2014

@mitchelldweiss U: "If you’re applying for a job that requires a background check (credit bureau report, FICO score)... " Who provides such?

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) March 3, 2014

@mitchelldweiss @CreditExperts Employers do not use #creditscores. I looked into it. http://t.co/txvLz4k6JO #CT #falsity #truth

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) March 3, 2014

@creditscoring @CreditExperts So I suppose we never did what I know we did. Good luck with your view.

— Mitchell D. Weiss (@mitchelldweiss) March 3, 2014

@mitchelldweiss It's not my view; it is #truth. Even @CreditExperts (where you are called #expert) mentions me. http://t.co/LM27YgFLNJ #myth

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) March 3, 2014

Brush with greatness

A previous exchange with Credit.com:

.@Microsoft, please reply. http://t.co/oqYCCTUIJB

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) November 8, 2013

.@CreditExperts (http://t.co/N7ywqYMH9Y) about @creditscoring video: "an entertaining look... well worth the watch." http://t.co/61zXtf0xyf

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) November 8, 2013

.@MSN_Money, it is nice to meet you. For my next trick, I will make a your web page disappear. http://t.co/oqYCCTUIJB #journalism

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) November 8, 2013

Microsoft's American history error. https://t.co/GWasgeFw72 #journalism

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) November 12, 2013

.@pgillin Collaboration v. The Individual. Collaboration between @CreditExperts & @Microsoft produced #falsity. http://t.co/oqYCCTUIJB #SEO

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) November 13, 2013

.@MSN / @BillGates: Hello. Also, Mitch McConnell is not the majority leader. I looked into it. @schreibot @Adam_K_Levin #history

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) November 13, 2013

.@Adam_K_Levin American history is important. http://t.co/ybt4nYqVtz … Will you help eliminate copies of the error? http://t.co/rkYpeJaucp

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) November 18, 2013

.@Adam_K_Levin This page still says "eyeball your credit score" (right column aside "RECENT ARTICLES"). http://t.co/KZpajBPOFC What's wrong?

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) November 25, 2013

.@Adam_K_Levin, is everything OK over there? http://t.co/RIrSSsc7G5 #jobs

— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) December 5, 2013

In this 5-year tale of truth and #falsity, there is enough blame to go around.