Maintaining your finances can be tricky. Countless people have no idea what they are spending their money on, or where it is going. To get started on your budget, get your priorities together. Food will be first on the list. A heart-breakingly large number of Americans are undernourished today, and food is basic sustenance that you need to survive and preserve your well being. Keep in mind though that even though food is extremely important, it is financially wise to avoid eating meals out all of the time, and looking for deals at the grocery store can be helpful.

Shelter is a necessity as well, so put your mortgage or rent next. The utility company comes next, because you must have heat in the winter and lights on at your place. If you use a phone that will usually come next, and transportation to work is key so make that car payment. If you are a parent that owes child support, make sure to pay this not only because it’s part of being a good person and a good parent, but because if you don’t pay you can get thrown in jail. And finally, going to see the doctor and getting your health checked, especially if you have no insurance requires that you pay a bill occasionally .

So these are your primary priorities. Ensure that you have you taken care of and move on. Regrettably, the government comes second. If you have the ability to pay your taxes immediately, the IRS will typically work with you to create a schedule of payments. But always file your taxes when they are due. Not filing may result in interest and fines of up to twenty five percent of what you owe.

Student loans are also important. Most of these are backed by the government. That means that, like back taxes, the government can chase down these loans in a way that other creditors can’t. If you are late in paying your student loans or back taxes, the government can garnish your wages and take your tax refunds, and in some cases, your Social Security benefits. Luckily for us, Uncle Sam also has a variety of options for individuals who cannot afford to make their student loan payments, including stretching out the amount (and therefore reducing) the amount you owe monthly or putting them on hold if you’re out of work. Keep in mind though, that the longer you take to pay off the loans, the more interest will gather, so narrow your belt and pay as much as you can.

All of your other debts, department store debts, payments for furniture and appliances, and credit card debt can be placed on the back-burner for now. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay them, but if you are in a place where you know that every creditor is not going to get paid, these are the ones that you can wait to pay. It is a good thing to know how much debt you have, and where your funds need to go, and now you need to figure out where it is going now. Think about how much money you may spend on eating out, cups of coffee or cigarettes. Try to develop the discipline to get a budget book and jot down every cent that you spend.

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Even though it’s an oldie, it appears that it’s still a goodie. Enjoying a recent boost in popularity, the phony debt collector scam still fools unknowing victims.

First, you will get a phone call from a number that will not be identifiable. Sometimes, it will seem valid, but ultimately, not known. When you get the call, the person calling will make you aware that they are a debt collector with so and so debt collection agency, and that this is an attempt to collect money. Sometimes, the cons have been known to assert that they are working with a local attorney to get your delinquent account settled. The conman will tell you that you have accumulated a large amount of debt from a prior account. Typically, the crooks will tell you that you may owe them thousands, but if you are prepared to settle, they will “settle for, oh say, five hundred dollars. And can you wire the money via Western Union?”

An interesting hint of resourcefulness on the part of the scam artists is that many times these calls will happen on a late Friday evening, or afternoon. When they call at these times, any government offices that you might report this to will be closed.

On many occasions the phony debt collectors will be calling from outside of the United States. An example of this was a scam that made recent news involving a call center in India. Utilizing services in order to mask their numbers, call centers located outside of the country may even choose a number from an area code nearby to where you live.

If you have gotten a call from a bill collector that you feel could be a scheme, it is imperative to be wary. Request from debt collector for a written statement of your debt. If they won’t supply you with written proof, don’t fork out any money to this suspicious agency. If you feel as though you may have been victimized by a phony bill collector scam, it is necessary to file a report with the Attorney General’s office in your state. It is important to gather as much information as you can to provide more particulars in your complaint.

Takara Alexis is a skilled writer who is knowledgeable about topics such as debt collection agencies and collecting bad debt. For more articles written by Takara visit Rapid Recovery Solution online today!. Also published at An Oldie But A Goodie – Fake Debt Collector Scheme.

In recent news it was revealed that powerful prosecutors in Louisiana and Washington made announcements of actions they had obtained against debt collection agencies and their owners and managers.

Louisiana’s attorney general James Caldwell stated on Friday that his office had gotten a hold of injunctions against two collection agencies and their owners. On the same day, Rob McKenna, Washington’s Attorney General said that his office had settled charges with a collection agency that had promised to stay on the straightened arrow. In a press release, Caldwell’s office stated that in late December they had gotten a hold of an injunction against Bush and Kennedy, Inc, a Baton Rouge based collection company. The order he won placed constraints on the business, banning them from operating further, and specifically, ordered that two of the firm’s principals, Quay W. Pattott Jr, and William S. Fesguson were banned from conducting business together.

Late last week, a judge slammed Ferguson and Parrott with added injunctions as per the request of Caldwell’s office. Ferguson is blocked from using deceptive and unfair acts and practices at his current place of business, Franklin, Grant and Associates Incorporated, a collection agency based out of Metairie Louisiana. Parrott is completely restricted against conducting any new business at his new place of work, Metairie based Halsey and Associates, LLC.

McKenna’s Washington office said that Topco Financial Services Inc, a Washington based collection agency promised not to threaten, harass or curse out debtors as part of a settlement. The collection agency has been ordered to pay around $38,000 in legal fees and penalties. An additional $82,000 in fees and penalties were suspended provided that the company agrees with the settlement terms.

In accordance with their agreement, Topco is restricted from harassing, intimidating, threatening and embarrassing debtors, including using profanity. They are restricted from implying that failure to pay a past due bill will result in suspension, a revocation, or impairment of the debtor’s driver’s license. They are banned from threatening debtors with impairment of their credit rating. However, the company is allowed to legally report debts to credit reporting agencies.

Rapid Recovery Solution is an attorney based debt collection agency working around the clock to collect bad debt. Contact them today for more information!. This article, Two Top Prosecutors Go After Debt Collection Agencies has free reprint rights.