If you are one of the millions of Americans who have tons of credit card debt you may be considering using a credit counseling service. In fact, if you're considering filing for bankruptcy, a new law will make it compulsory to work with one of these services. But the credit counseling industry is filled with sharks and there are a few things you need to know before you jump into the water with them.
First of all, recognize that many credit counseling services - even the "non-profit" ones - can actually leave you in deeper debt than when you started. They convince you to enter one of their "debt-management" programs and begin charging large fees (which are often hidden) that can end up making your total debt significantly larger. It's a huge scam that many people have fallen prey to. Make sure you aren't one of these people!
To protect yourself you must learn how to recognize the difference between a real credit counseling service and a scam. A good service will provide helpful debt advice, work with your creditors, lower your monthly payments, help you set a budget, and charge you a small monthly fee for their services (usually no more than $20 a month). They may also charge a small set-up fee that shouldn't be more than $50.
A "scam" credit counseling service can often be easily identified by their aggressive marketing and sales techniques. These are the companies you see advertised just about everywhere now: in magazines, newspapers, television, internet, and through spam email. They offer quick fixes to your credit problems and promise to be your new best friend. Often, their ads will prominently display their non-profit status, hoping those words will instill a sense of trust in people. But, in reality, these companies seek the non-profit, tax-exempt status in order to evade state and federal consumer protection laws
So what can you do to protect yourself from scammers? Take your time and do your research. Here are a few tips for finding a good credit counseling service:
- If possible, work with a credit counselor in your area who you can sit down with on a regular basis, face-to-face.
- Check with your local Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau to see if there are any outstanding complaints against the counselor you are considering. If there are, you probably want to choose another service.
- Find out if the agency offers free educational material. A "real" credit counselor will want you to be knowledgeable about how their services work. A bad counselor will want to keep you in the dark so they can get your money.
- Ask about fees. If the setup fee and/or monthly fees seem too high, go somewhere else. Also, find out if they keep any percentage of the payments you send them. Scammers will often try to keep a large percentage of the first payment as part of their "voluntary" fees.
- Ask how the counselors are compensated. If they work on commissions or get incentives for signing people up for debt consolidation programs walk away.
- Make sure that the agency is accredited and that your counselor is trained and certified.
- Call your creditors (usually your credit card companies) and ask if they will work with the credit counseling service you're considering. If they won't the service can't do you much good.
- Get all of the counselor's promises and terms in writing. Don't think that any verbal promises they make are binding.
- Be sure that the agency you choose provides you with monthly reports that show who is receiving your payments and how much they have been paid.
By doing your research and asking the right questions you can protect yourself from credit counseling scams. A good counselor will help you solve your debt problems. A bad one will only make them worse. Take your time and choose well!
