6 Ways to Lower Your Debt Without Getting Ripped Off

Clearly, some debt settlement companies engage in fraudulent, deceptive, and abusive practices that pose a risk to consumers, according to a federal investigation of the industry. In its investigation, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that some debt settlement companies provided fraudulent, deceptive, or questionable information to its consumers, such as claiming unusually high success rates for their programs – as high as 100 percent. However, the Federal Trade Commission and state investigations have typically found that less than 10 percent of consumers successfully complete these programs.