Imagine you are deeply in debt. Imagine being ashamed and depressed about the situation you put yourself in. You are stressed-out and not sure what to do. Suddenly, on TV or radio, you hear an ad about a “debt relief program.” Just call them up and they will help you. They might even suggest they are a government program designed to help you and others in your situation get out of debt.
When you are the most vulnerable, feeling down and confused, you become a prime target for predators who want to capitalize on your financial misfortune, desperation and lack of experience in the area of debt reduction. It is also a known fact that those who are in a distressed emotional state become easy targets for scammers. In 2021 American consumers lost 5.8 billion to financial fraud and nearly a billion of that was in various debt relief and credit repair scams (debt.org).
Here is a sampling of the headlines the media, no matter which media you might listen to, rarely bothered to cover. Reading these headlines provides you with an accurate overall picture of the debt relief and credit repair scam operations in America (source FTC.gov).
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Halts Debt Relief Scheme that Bilked Millions from Consumers While Leaving Many Deeper in Debt (Nov 2022)
Federal Trade Commission Sends More than $2 Million to Students Harmed by Debt Relief Scam (August 2022)
Federal Trade Commission Returns More Than $164,000 To Consumers Harmed by Bogus Mortgage Relief Scam (June 2022)
FTC Shuts Down Credit Repair Pyramid Scheme, Which Bilked More Than $213 Million from Consumers (May 2022)
FTC Acts to Shut Down ‘The Credit Game’ for Running a Bogus Credit Repair Scheme that Fleeced Consumers (May 2022)
Society almost seems to support a system of fraud against those in debt. The news outlets seldom cover this scandal, while at the same time they run the scammy debt relief ads on their various media platforms. Knowledge is the only way to protect yourself from being ripped-off.
Fraudsters prefer to utilize a couple different scam models. The first is get a large, upfront fee from you to reduce or eliminate your debt, repairing your credit score or get your student loans forgiven. Defrauded consumers end up getting nothing in return for that fee.
One of the first things the fraudster do to help you get THEIR fee together is to tell you to stop paying your bills. Send your bill money to them instead and they will take care of your debts. In other cases, they don’t even bother with trying to obtain a fee from you, they just get your information and use it for their various identify theft schemes.
Scammers also listen to the news, just like we do. When they heard about the White House was considering a student loan forgiveness program, they immediately capitalized on that information and jumped with both feet into scams using their own “Student Loan Forgiveness Programs.” The scammers led consumers to believe they were from the government. Of course they took the customers money and the consumers received nothing in return. It was very painful for Lisa and I to watch and listen to those various commercials knowing it was likely a scam.
The FBI Issued this statement:
“Cybercriminals and fraudsters may claim to help individuals into the Federal Student Loan Forgiveness program, contacting potential victims via phone, e-mail, mail, text, websites, or other online chat services. Cybercriminals and fraudsters use their schemes to receive payment for services they will not provide or collect victim information they can then use to facilitate a variety of other crimes.”
My wife and I can no longer stand by and simply watch the damage to our friends and neighbors unfold. Also, my wife Lisa and I identify with the those who find themselves ensnared by problematic debt. Many years ago, we were also in this situation. Luckily, we navigated our way out and freed ourself from debt and became debt free. Today, my wife and I have compiled the critical research designed to help those struggling with problematic debt. To that end we wrote a an easy-to-follow workbook that will help you avoid fraud and find the best practices and strategies to help you, “Escape Debt Prison.” Below is a sampling of some of the important things you will learn about debt relief:
If you decide to use a debt relief company, here are some “Do’s and Don’ts:
Do use those who are “certified debt counselors” typically available from nonprofit organizations or even your credit union.
Don’t pay big upfront fees! Legit programs charge you a monthly fee, in the neighborhood of $40 to $50 to manage your debts.
You can talk to a non-profit credit counselor by contacting the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at 1-800-388-2227.
Don’t download any suspicious e-mails or files related to debt relief or credit repairs.
Don’t give anyone your information on on an email or enter your info into email links that request it.
Do use caution on any emails that appear to be from the Department of Education or other government agencies about your debt. Always independently verify information through another source besides the email or the emailed link.
Do check out any negative court filing in your state, Better Business Bureau complaints and the online reputation of any debt relief company before you use it.
You can typically do a better job at obtaining debt relief if you “do it yourself” and it won’t cost you any extra money. To obtain the essential knowledge you need to, “Escape Debt Prison,” pre-order on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Debt-Prison-Crippling-Financial-ebook/dp/B0BQPJBB8V/
Larry
