For most people who find themselves in debt, it doesn’t happen all at once. A late payment fee, coupled with an interest rate increase and you could find yourself desperately trying to get out of debt before you know it. When you just want the collection calls and letters to stop, it’s tempting to fall for offers to get out of debt that sound too good to be true. The problem is, a lot of them are, and you could find yourself losing even more money. Before you sign up with anyone promising a quick fix to your money problems, there are a number of red flags that you shouldn’t ignore.

Some get out of debt businesses try to convince you that your debt is actually illegal and advise you not to pay it. Because most consumers do not know the law, these companies will present portions of actual regulations to persuade you not to pay. For an upfront fee, they will promise to take the creditor to court to retract the debt, under the assumption that they will erase the debt, rather than risk public defamation. In short, if you made the debt, you owe it.

Get out of debt scams can seem remarkably similar to legitimate companies, and it’s surprisingly easy to lure consumers. An organization that promises to contact your creditor and negotiate interest fees and late charges, seems like a sensible way to get out of debt, the problem is, once you give them a hefty initial fee, sometimes as high a $2,500, the collection calls keep coming and no negotiations have been made. Attempts to contact the company usually fail, and you’ve lost even more money.

Credit report repair scams are more prevalent than ever and promise to help you get out of debt by erasing certain items off your report. Check the statute of limitations in your state for debts to stay on record. If they promise to remove it any sooner than that, walk away. For an up front fee, which is illegal in the United States, they will make several disputes with the three major credit bureaus and when these claims turn out to be unfounded, your debt will be put back on record.

To avoid these get out of debt scams, do some careful research on any company you plan to do business with. The Better Business Bureau and Credibility can give you referrals to debt relief agencies that will actually give you the help you need.