Scams and Bankruptcy

Unfortunately, in our society, there are those that prey on vulnerable people. When you are overwhelmed in debt and looking for financial relief, you may come across such people looking to take advantage of you.

Problems

It is a common practice for scammers to use personal information from court bankruptcy filings to contact you regarding your debt and how to eliminate it. When problems arise is when an individual or agency makes promises too good to be true. Unsolicited emails and phone calls offering help with your financial situation.

Asking for Money

People out to defraud you of your hard-earned money will ask you to wire money to pay off your debt. Sometimes they threaten you with being arrested if you do not pay the debt right away. Another way to get your money is to ask for enormous fees to wipe away your debt. Neither collection agencies or those offering to “help” with your debt can legally threaten you with being arrested.

Do not send a bankruptcy service or debt counseling agency money until you have spoken with a legitimate bankruptcy attorney with excellent references and ratings. Other ways to avoid being taken advantage of is to watch out for these red flags:

• Asking for upfront money to handle your credit issues
• Promising to remove all negative marks on your credit report
• Asking you to pay for a credit report that can easily be found for no cost
• Offering a quick and easy fix
• Asking for you to purchase products instead of real advice or services
• Being asked to sign over the deed to your house
• Asking for your mortgage payment for them to forward on

Don’t fall victim, thinking you can take the easy way out by believing the false promises of scammers. Contact a McAllen bankruptcy attorney to get legal advice from a reputable and experienced attorney