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Transcript

Will the Real Credit Truth Please Stand Up?

What an Old Game Show Can Teach Us About Today’s Credit Misinformation Machine

🎭 Will the Real Credit Truth Please Stand Up?

What an Old Game Show Can Teach Us About Today’s Credit Misinformation Machine

By John Mackey
CreditGeni.us Substack | July 2025


Back in the 1950s, a black-and-white TV show asked one simple question:

“Will the real [name] please stand up?”

On To Tell the Truth, three contestants claimed to be the same person — a crocodile dentist, a submarine escape artist, whoever. Only one was telling the truth. The rest were clever fakes. A panel of celebrities would ask questions, debate, and vote on who the real person was.

Harmless fun, right?

Fast-forward to 2025, and that innocent format isn’t just nostalgia — it’s your financial life.

Because when it comes to credit, debt, and money advice, we’re all living inside a permanent rerun of To Tell the Truth — but now the stakes are higher, and the lies are monetized.


🎭 Today’s Contestants: The “Credit Experts” in Your Feed

Imagine you’re on the celebrity panel, trying to figure out how to fix your credit. Three “experts” step forward:

  • Contestant #1: “Max out your cards and just pay in full! Utilization doesn’t matter if you pay it all off!”

  • Contestant #2: “Pay that collection. Problem solved. Boost your score instantly!”

  • Contestant #3: “Buy a tradeline. Use a CPN. We’ll wipe your report clean. Guaranteed.”

Each one sounds confident. Each one has slick videos, viral TikToks, or a million followers.

So…
Will the real credit truth please stand up?

Guess wrong, and you don’t lose points.
You lose money.
You lose loan approvals.
You lose years of progress.


🎯 To Tell the Truth in a Post-Fact Economy

In the 1950s, deception was playful. Nobody got hurt.

Today?
Deception is a business model.

The average consumer doesn’t know:

  • That there are over 100 FICO scoring models.

  • That VantageScore is literally owned by the credit bureaus.

  • That paying a collection won’t necessarily “fix” your score.

  • That most lenders ignore what influencers push.

Why? Because truth doesn’t trend — but fake confidence does.

TikTok. Instagram. YouTube. Full of imposters dressed as financial gurus, slinging credit “hacks” that range from misleading to outright fraud.


👥 Your Celebrity Panel = Social Media Likes

In the original show, Kitty Carlisle or Tom Poston decided who to trust.

Today, your panel is your social media feed:

  • A viral TikTok says FICO 10T doesn’t matter.

  • A guy in front of a rented Lamborghini promises to delete bankruptcies.

  • An influencer offers tradelines through CashApp.

But there’s no host to announce who’s real.
No audience gasping when the fake stands up.
No safety net.

You’re the panelist.
You’re the investigator.
And the clock’s ticking.


🔍 Lessons from To Tell the Truth

On the show, the panelists had to ask smart questions. Look for body language. Spot inconsistencies. Trust evidence over charm.

That’s your job now — only it’s not a game.

In credit education:

  • Charm is everywhere.

  • Truth is quiet.

  • Confusion is profitable.


🔥 Real Credit Truths They’re Not Telling You

Let’s do what the influencers won’t — reveal the answers:

  • FICO 10T uses trended data — your long-term balance habits affect your score, not just your payment status this month.

  • Collections, paid or not, usually stay on your report for seven years and can still lower your score.

  • Authorized user tradelines don’t guarantee score boosts — and paid tradelines are legally risky.

  • BNPL loans (Buy Now, Pay Later)? Now reported to credit bureaus. And yes, they can hurt your score.

  • VantageScore ≠ FICO — mortgage lenders almost always use older FICO models.

Who’s explaining this?
Not your favorite influencer.
Not the guy selling you a credit sweep.
Not the algorithm feeding you what’s viral instead of what’s valid.


📣 The Call to Action: Be the Smartest Panelist in the Room

You’re the panelist now. The responsibility is yours.

Next time someone claims to have credit “secrets,” ask:

  • Who benefits if I believe this?

  • What’s their source?

  • Does this match how credit scoring actually works?

Because unlike To Tell the Truth, there’s no buzzer, no host, no laugh track.

There’s only:

  • Your FICO score.

  • Your interest rates.

  • Your future.


👊 Final Word

In a world where financial misinformation spreads faster than facts, maybe the old sign-off says it best:

“Will the real TRUTH please stand up?”

Sometimes it will.
But most of the time — you’ll have to pull it up yourself.


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