Beware of Christian debt help scams.
Knowing that debt elimination is one of the most favorite scam artist’s areas,
many people are trying to protect themselves and their wallets by dealing strictly with Christian debt help organizations. If you are one of these people who think that a Christian organization means moral and honest, think again.
The fact that the company has the word Christian included in their name or description doesn’t mean that it really is Christian. Don’t be mislead by the word Christian because scammers have learned that preying on people’s faith can bring fantastic results. Fantastic for them of course, not for you.
Here are 5 signs which will help protect you from the debt scams, Christian or not.
First sign of a debt scam is an unrealistically good offer. Many scammers rely on people’s greed and impatience and promise us to solve all our debt problems with a “shortcut”, which they will tell you only after you pay them a certain amount of money.
While some ways to eliminate debt are faster than others, there is no magical way to become debt free in a week without any consequences only if you pay some agency.
The second sign that you are being scammed are the abnormal office hours of the company you are dealing with. Scammers who pretend to be local Christians often turn out to be people from other countries. Don’t trust them even if the site has religious images and scriptures all over it. They are here to get you.
If you are calling the number listed on the website and you can never reach a human, be careful. It is much easier to scam you over email, especially if you and the scammer have an 8 hour time difference.
If there is no phone number listed on the website, it should raise a red flag too.
The third sign of a debt scam is a high deposit (usually $2500-$3000) which the company asks you to pay up-front. It is very possible that as soon you transfer the money to them, you will never hear from them again. It is also possible that they will send you a “proof” that they got your money, so they have more time to disappear. Of course, these “proofs” turn out to be fake, even though they make them look professional.
Some scam artists are brave enough to suggest that you should take a second mortgage in order to pay them the $2000-$3000 fee for eliminating your debts.
Remember that just because the organization says it is Christian, doesn’t mean it is. It also doesn’t mean that it is free or affordable, so make sure you do your research before making any important decisions.
If you are looking for Christian debt help you have to check the validity of any financial services the organization is offering just as thoroughly if not more than you would check any other organization. Don’t sign any papers and don’t pay any money until you are sure that the organization you are dealing with is legitimate and the people are really trying to help you and not rip you off.
