When you have a lot of credit card debt the last thing you need is someone scamming you out of your money, but that is what almost happened to a Summerville man this week.

The complainant told the Summerville Police Department that he had been talking with what he thought was a debt-relief company that was promising to help him with his credit card debt.  The man told the office that the company was called “Brian Ruiz Litigation Group”.  After speaking with the complainant, the representative of the company asked him for his debit card information.  The complainant gave them the information and it was after that the complainant realized it was a scam.

Luckily, the complainant reported the scam to police – and to his bank – before the scammers transferred any money from his account.

Debt relief scams promise “guarantees” to get you out of debt quickly and cleanly. They often ask for advance payment (which is illegal) for the “services” they provide. Sometimes they will even advise you to stop paying your creditors.

If you are struggling with debt, consider negotiating with creditors directly or connect with a debt counselor through a nonprofit credit counseling organization, such as the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (nfcc.org).