According to an article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, credit repair scam artists almost destroyed the Chapter 13 bankruptcy case of Ken Maddox, a shoe salesman who was struggling financially. The credit repair scammers promised Maddox that they could fix his credit report by “getting rid” of his Chapter 13 bankruptcy and paying off all of his debts for a fee of $375. You can only imagine what happened next. Maddox “got rid of” his Chapter 13 bankruptcy but he didn’t get rid of his creditors who were most likely ready to implement some pretty aggressive collection actions. And he wouldn’t have had the protections of bankruptcy to help him.
The article said:
Then he got a letter from his bankruptcy lawyer informing him that although his bankruptcy had been stopped, no payments were being received on his debts, as promised, and he was in trouble with the bankruptcy court. Maddox told the attorney what he’d done, and the attorney gave him the attorney general’s telephone number.
Maddox said he ended up paying a $300 fine for interfering in the bankruptcy proceedings but eventually emerged from the process legally.
Maddox was lucky. Tampering with the Chapter 13 bankruptcy process and getting involved with a credit repair scammer could have cost Maddox thousands of dollars and a lost chance at repaying his debts under reasonable and legally binding terms. Please do not make the mistake of getting entangled with these credit repair scammers. If they are promising you the “moon” it’s most likely a con-game. Falling for their tricks can put you deeper into the hole. If you have already become a victim of a credit repair scam artist, please contact a Dallas-Fort Worth bankruptcy attorney. A bankruptcy attorney may be able to help you repair the damage done to you financial life.