The New York Times says the proceeds of the debt settlement industry come at the direct expense of financially troubled Americans who are being fleeced of their last dollars with dubious promises. In the case of two debt settlement companies sued last year by New York State, the attorney general alleged that no more than 1 percent of customers gained the services promised by marketers. I urge you to watch this five-minute video on the New York Times website so you won't be taken in by these unethical companies who promise so much and produce so little.

Click here for the New York Times video titled The New Poor: Unsettled Anxieties.