f you are looking for some legitimate debt help, you need to make sure that you avoid the shady companies which are operating in the market to cheat the consumers. The best way to do so is to talk to the officials in the firms and find out yourself. Here are some of the tips that you can use to identify whether the firms are legit or not:
When you talk to a firm, find out whether the firm is asking for their service fee in advance. If they are asking for up front fee, you better move out and look for a different firm. In the mean time, make sure that you report the firm's activities to the FTC.
See whether the counselor is talking to you for at least and hour or not. A counselor from a legit firm will spend time with you and try to understand your problems first. The counselor will ask for many questions related to your debt and your income as well as expenditure. In short the counselor will actually gather information which is required for creating a repayment plan and also to find out which relief program will suit you the best. A firm which barely gives you time is not genuine and you need to avoid the firm.
Ask for a copy of license and registration and if the firm claims to be non-profit, ask for the IRS code. A legit firm will always show a copy of these to the consumers on demand. If not, you must know that the firm is not a legit one and you have to find out another firm.
This is how you avoid shady relief companies and find out the legit ones.
Debt settlement can make financial sense for consumers and small businesses that are experiencing a financial hardship and have at least $10k in unsecured debt. It is not the only option however.