The first step in not getting ripped off is to be wary of anything that sounds to good to be true. Inevitability these are false promises to get to part with your money or for you to take actions that will put your assets at risk.

A common example are those debt settlement firms that make the claim that they can settle your debts for much less than what you own.  Firstly these firms are not credit counseling agencies and you should not confuse the two, as their aims are very much different.  The credit counseling agency is there to help you deal with your financial debts and how to manage your money. A debt settlement firm is there for only one reason, profit for their company.

A typical mode of operation for these firms is to get you to redirect your payments from you paying the creditor direct, where you pay the debt settlement firm. Here they are taking your money, plus their profit margin and in theory building up a lump sum on your behalf to pay your  and then they pay the creditor.  The problem here is that your repayments have not been made to your creditor and you could face late payment penalties and the like for non-payment.

If you have fallen into this type of situation, then you can seek help from an consumer law attorney. When you are getting ripped off one of the best methods is to send a letter threatening legal action if the company does not take action to reverse the actions they have done. This letter is best sent from a consumer law attorney as it will have more impact. Usually this will do the trick and things will be restored. If it doesn't then a lawsuit can be progressed by paying the attorney on a win basis. Another method is to lodge a complaint with the Federal Trade Commissioner, the Better Business Bureau or you local state attorney general  office. Whilst you won't get your money back, these organisations can take legal action to stop these companies from operating.