Don’t fall victim to debt relief scams
On behalf of Jamie L. Gingold, PC, GingoldBankruptcyLaw.com (Formerly practicing with Gingold & Gingold LLC) posted in Credit Card Debt on Thursday, May 28, 2015.
In this day and age, your contact information can be accessed by others much more easily than you think. Email and phone lists for one company can be purchased and used by other parties, lawfully or not. When you sign up for things online or give out your phone number for applications and other services, that information is not guaranteed to be safe and used only by the parties to whom it was given.
This is why debt relief scams are so common. Companies access this contact information and send emails and make phone calls to people claiming to be a legitimate debt-relief company; people fall victim to these tactics because the company knows their name and may sound like it has the answer to solving debt problems quickly.
These scams, a few of which we described in this article on our website, take advantage of people in a vulnerable and scary position. They try to capitalize on a person’s anxiety and desire to just get rid of debt as quickly and easily as possible; ultimately they may do nothing but take money and make matters worse.
It can be crucial to avoid these scams, and there are a few ways to do this. According to the Federal Trade Commission, much of these avoidance tactics rely on a person using common sense. For example, you should probably avoid companies that:
- Guarantee quick results and complete discharge of unsecured debts
- Ask you for bank and credit card account information
- Cannot or will not send you information about their organization and services
- Contacts you via a robocall without your permission
These can be serious red flags that a debt relief company is illegitimate and not actually interested in helping you.
Generally speaking, any person or company that claims to be able to solve your debt problems overnight and without your help should raise some concerns. Resolving debt, dealing with foreclosure and rebuilding your financial future can all be complicated processes that take some time and requires you to take certain steps and make certain decisions.
Rather than run the risk of adding more problems to the already-stressful situation of being in debt, it can be crucial that you speak with someone who is clear on bankruptcy laws and options and can discuss your individual situation with you.
