Credit score quick fixes: Fact or fantasy?

If your struggles with debt have taken a toll on your credit score, you may have been intrigued by ads from companies promising that they can fix your credit and increase your score. They don't tell you how they'll do it. They also don't tell you that what they're doing might not even be legal and, even if it is, you could do many of the same things they do -- for free.

"The biggest problem is the probability that people will spend a lot of money and not get anything accomplished," says Norm Magnuson, vice president of public affairs for the Consumer Data Industry Association.

But even the prospect of spending money for nothing isn't the worst thing that could happen. If you're not careful, you could find yourself committing fraud or making your credit score even worse. WalletPop spoke with several experts in credit "repair" to get the skinny on how they game the system.