These people are SCAM ARTISTS. They represent themselves as a government program. They are not! They have a seal on their letterhead and a PO address in Washington, D.C. Don't be fooled. I called Senator Ted Kennedy's office and asked if this was a government sponsored program. NO IT IS NOT. Stay away from these people. Do not give any personal information to anyone soliciting you through the mail including credit card offers as many are now bogus letters from people who steal identities.  With the current economy, things are going to get much worse before they get better which brings out the worst in people. Do not fall for any SCAMS and , PLEASE, do your research before doing business with anyone, no matter how official their letter looks. NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH ANYONE WHO CALLS ON THE PHONE.

didn't get a call, but received a letter stating they were part of the national debt relief initiative.  after some investigating, i could not find any info on this initiative through the government.  it's scam.

Boy did they fool you. Just like me. Kazlow and Tucker are fraudulent. The give very deceptive information. In fact it is what they don't tell you that you have to worry about. They deliberately don't tell you and avoid answering certain questions. For instance they will tell you that in the state of PA the creditors can not garnish you wages but what they don't tell you is they can and do levy you bank accounts and put leans on your home. Trust me they are fraudulent. We were taken for almost $16,000 before we figured out we were being taken. We are now deeper in debt that a year ago. We have 4 court cases where so far the judge has ruled against us and told us we need to get a good lawyer. We now owe not only the original amount but almost $2,000 more in court fees. We are now filing a complaint with the Attorney Generals office. Kazlow & tucker has put us in a horrible position to where we may have to file bankruptcy. I hope this saves some one from making the same mistake.

Robb - Which company are you actually using??  There are so many!!  I am in desperate need to get in touch with someone ASAP!!  Could you please give me the exact website, phone number and contact person your using?

I called and spoke with them in detail... They were honest.  The guy I spoke with explained that the Program "Federal Debt Reduction Program" is a program that is not fedrally offerred.  They offer Professional Debt Settlement Services... I was going to BK but have been enrolled with them for a year and things are going as planned!  I am very happy with the service they provide. I called my rep back up and he told me as of today There are over 3000+ debt settlement companies in the US right now.

GET THIS... only 188 are licensed and registered with T.A.S.C. (stands for: The Association of Settlement Companies). TASC?s is an association, which sets best practice standards, and compliance guidelines for the debt settlement industry.  

TASC is a non profit organization; they protect the interests of consumer debtors, and lobby on behalf of debt settlement companies on the federal and state level.  They are the ones maintaining nationally recognized standards expected by regulators and lawmakers.  

If you understand what I am saying? Essentially TASC was put in place for the protection of the consumer They make sure people are doing business with reputable companies.  Kazlow and Tucker is a confirmed partner of TASC which seem to be the closest thing protecting customers that I know of.  Hope this helps.

hey john,
i am very concerned by all the negativity, except from you.  yesterday i gave someone from one of these companies alot of information and now am worried...should i be?  as you may know i have been in a panic mode and this seemed legit...is it?  please let me know more about your positive experience.  as i also could not find them on the BBB website or on internet at all..needless to say i am concerned as i have a home and a family.  thanx for your time.

laura

talking about it here over and over and over again will do nothing

this is what you do

1. WRITE LETTER TO YOUR STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL with copy of your letter

2 . WRITE letter to the FTC.

3. Write a letter to the POSTMASTER GENERAL, WAShington with copy of letter and envelope


DO THIS NOW

this site will do nothing for you but repeat who they are, over and over and over again

How is this not a scam?  there is an obvious attempt to mislead people.  First of all, the whole mailer thing attempts to mislead you into thinking this is a government program.  Of course they have to put the damned disclaimer in there, but they're banking on the fact that a lot of stupid people don't read the disclaimer.  It indicates that they're from D.C. (to make them look more government like) yet they're really based in CA.  How stupid does one have to believe that this is not a scam?  Do you believe for one minute that if the federal laws did not require them to add that disclaimer that they're not a government agency, they would still include it?  Hell not they wouldn't... they'd rather have as many people as possible think it is a govt. agency.  These people are a joke and should be shot.  This is why this country is so screwed up.  People would do anything for a buck.  To hell with them.  I'll ring up their office several times just to annoy them.

I received the the fake official letter from The National debt Relief Initiative located in DC in the mail which of course seemed to good to be true. Im glad that I researched this bogus company before even dialing the number. The number printed on the letter is 1-800-419-6916. To whomever else receives a letter like this one please throw it away or do your research first and foremost. Good Luck!!

i recieve one of this letter thanks for the info, it should be a law if this scam persist. Also the postmaster should not allow them to send this false information out to the consumer.

Is the NATIONAL DEBT RELIEF INITIATIVE  PO BOX 96503 IN WASHINGTON A LEGAL COMPANY

so how did it work out for you? I am thinking of using them to assit me with my debt problems

I think that if you do your research on this company as you should with anyone you deal with, you will find that they are doing the right thing for their customers. They are members of TASC. They have a link at the bottom of their site to show you that they are members. Do your homework before you bash a company helping many people out there!

How was that misleading? You stated that he said he was not from the government, but a debt settlement company. Perhaps they could have come up with a plan for you. I am an economics student and follow closely what is happening in the banking industry and will concur that there are no programs doing anything for individuals. I called the number myself and as you stated, they are in California and were completely honest with me about how the program works. Of course I cooperated instead of playing games with them. Seems like a great alternative to bankruptcy!

I wonder, based on your response, which competitive company you must be working for? I have been working with this company for well over two years and have had almost all of my debt settled as they agreed to do. I am not sure what all of this negative hype is about, other than maybe the credit counselling agencies bullying settlement companies.. Enough already!

be careful.  I contacted TASC.  They are not a member at all.

I got my letter today and the first thing i did was google it and came across all of your letters and responces.  I at least have sense enough to check in to this stuff before diving into trouble. and thanks to ALL of you for your input and insite it helps people like me stay out of trouble instead of getting in deeper

The BBB is a joke. Their rating system is completely biased and confusing. The BBB is going to be sued for defaming legitimate businesses that provide debt settlement to consumers. Check-out these sites:

http://www.courant.com/business/columnists/hc ... ,1644596.column

http://www.tascsite.org/educenter.php?id=4

http://www.credit.com/news/experts/2009-03-12 ... ing-system.html

You can pay for a rating on BBB, even if (for example) you have 800 complaints in one year. I work for a debt settlement company, as a Senior Debt Consultant. I have been for the last two years. Since the company opened three years ago, we've only had about four complaints. They gave us a "B+".  Seriously??? Even if you get a "96" out of 100, on a test, you get an A+. We have a lot more satisfied clients than that. Trust me. We are very legitimate. Certified by TASC, USOBA, and other organizations. So, we are very reputable and debt settlement is the way to go for those who qualify and understand how the program works.

The BBB is the biggest non-federal, non-profit piece of manipulative garbage you can come by.

I agree with John with the proper research a debt settlement program like Kazlow and Tucker's could really benefit someone. I'm sick of bloggers giving advise when they haven't done their research. Yes we all need to put our due deligence into researching these companies and if we look at Kazlow and Tucker's website they are a member of The Association of Settlement Companies and all of thier abitrators are certified by the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators.

I BELIEVE THAT MOST OF THE COMPANIES THAT OFFER TO HELP YOU, ARE SCAMS.
YOU JUST HAVE TO CHECK WITH BETTER BUSINESS B. TO HAVE AN IDEA WHICH ONES ARE REGISTERED WITH THEM AND HAD NO COMPLAINTS OR MAJOR COMPLAINTS AGAINST THEM. WHEN YOU CALL THE NUMBER THAT APPEARS IN THE LETTER FROM debt relief Initiative, many different companies show up. Check them out.
The 2nd I called,  doesnt even appear  at BBB's record. Just ba cautious. It is also true that many of the deals with creditors, you can arrange yourself. I would check with a lawyer friend and find out what is the best way to deal with a BONAFIDE COMPANY ONCE YOU FIND IT.
By the way,  my website  is WWW.PETERFREUND.MAGNETICSPONSORINGONLINE.COM
This will help you to develop your business if you have any.
Best regards,
Peter Freund
mikiko10@verizon.net

Well, the letter says that is coming from Washington DC, but on the USPS stamp the zip code is from California, is this not a scam, so can someone explain to me why is not a scam?

I think that if you did some research on the company you would find that they are not a scam.  The mail i recieved stated at the bottom that they were not a government agency, and have no affiliation with the government, they are a debt settlement company.  When i called into the company i was informed they are a member of T.A.S.C.  I looked up that company and found that TASC was set up to protect consumers from scams, it a an initiative that has been formed to create rules and regulations from state to state so there is protection for consumers.  The purpose of the debt settlement industry is to give people a chance to avoid bankruptcy which as far as i am concerned is the ultimate worse case.  I have been using them for over a year now, and am very happy with the results.  I do agree we need to be careful, but this company has disclosed more information about how it works then i could imagine.  For what it is worth.

The letter we received didn't have any language about not being a government agency.  It looks like an official government sponsored program.

I received the letter many others have referred to, from the "Federal Debt Reduction Initiative".  I called it to see what they had to say.... the phone was answered by "Kazlow & Tucker"; I asked who they were and was told they are a debt relief company.  I told the guy I thought I was calling a government agency and he said no, that the government was "unable to do anything for individuals" and that they had "chosen 4 private debt relief companies to help individuals" and that they were one of the four chosen companies.  The guy tried to get me to let him work up a plan for me; I did not give any information...not even my name.  He told me to figure my total debt and then consider calling him back; he gave me a direct number and his extension.  The number he gave me is 1-888-804-4111.  When I got off the phone with him, I looked up the company (Kazlow & Tucker) and found that they are located in Orange County, California - NOT WASHINGTON DC LIKE THE LETTER HEAD STATES!
Do NOT fall for this attempt to mislead you!!!

My letter doesnt state anything about not approved by the government or affiliated with any government agency. It also states that they have not been endorsed and are not making the offer on the behalf of any government agency.

Luckily I didn't call them!!

They are calling FEDERAL DEBT REDUCTION is not listed on BBB, Be careful with these SCAM!!!!!!

Thank you, RoyaltyAC. I too received a letter from NDRI offering debt relief in a certain amount. How come they don't even have a website and are non-existent in the Better Business Bureau? I think they're a variation of scam debt consolidation companies or are one of those bogus companies that are created and employed by the government to have yet another method of penatrating into our lives, thoughts, finances, etc. Avoid being enslaved and be always PROUD.

I received one of the letters and it seems like they are trying to make it look official with the seal on top, but the letter clearly states in ALL CAPS at the bottom that they are not approved by the government or affiliated with any government agency. It also states that they have not been endorsed and are not making the offer on the behalf of any government agency.

This is apparently being  used in addition to other numbers...looks like a rip-off designed to look like an official letter.

Apparently the number for the national debt relief initiative.

po box 96503 #18280
wa dc 20090