You Have The Right...

A deep voice on the radio, warm, friendly, "The credit card companies don't want you to know that you have the right to cut your bills in half..."

Or something like that, I'm writing from memory.

Yeah, that warm and fuzzy voice is telling you to use their services to cut your bill in half.

Can't you smell the BULL DROPPINGS just oozing out of the speakers?

I can.

These guys will take your money, claim to negotiate a settlement with the credit card companies, you'll send a check to them every month and maybe they really will pay the bills. Maybe. Late if at all.

It's all a huge scam that will ruin your credit.

And they may not pay any of your bills. Some of these outfits take your money and run, leaving you with huge problems with your creditors. Trust me, collection agencies DO NOT CARE that you were scammed, they just want the money.

If you really are in trouble, call Consumer Credit Counselors. They're a "for real" non-profit that can help you make a payment plan to pay your bills within a set period of time. And if they can't help you, they'll be honest about it and tell you.

Unlike that friendly voice on the radio...

The Property Tax Assessment Scam

Did you get a really official looking letter in the mail, telling you that you MUST send in $$ ASAP to have your property taxes lowered?

I sure hope you didn't send in a check, because the whole thing is BULL DROPPINGS.

Yes, it's been on the news and all over the Internet, but my co-worker's mom actually sent in a check. Luckily, she heard on the news that it was all a scam, so she was able to stop payment on the check before it reached the scammers. (Whew!!)

I'm telling you, people can't stay ahead of the scams -- mail, phone, e-mail, Internet, it's just too much. Even knowledgeable people are getting scammed.

Listen, if you want your property to be reassessed, then you should contact your local assessor's office, over at the county building. They'll do it for free.