With credit card debt in the U.S. topping $1.2 trillion, legal advocates are pointing Illinois consumers to a free website that aims to help residents navigate consumer debt, understand their legal rights and avoid costly debt-relief scams, according to Public News Service.
Steve Uhrich, consumer debt solutions product manager with Illinois Legal Aid Online, said many consumers never respond when a debt case is filed against them. In a widely reported comment, Uhrich has said that in roughly 70% of consumer debt cases the consumer never shows up and a default judgment is entered.
What the resource is
The free website, Debt Help Illinois, is run by the nonprofit Illinois Legal Aid Online in partnership with Working Credit and The Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, according to the Debt Help Illinois website. The site says it provides plain-language legal and financial information, tools and guidance for people dealing with consumer debt, with a current focus on common types of debt such as credit cards and medical bills.
According to the site, the service is free, does not sell or collect debt, and is not a debt settlement or debt consolidation company. It says it will never ask users for money or a credit card number. Residents can find the resource online at DebtHelpIllinois.org.
Illinois Legal Aid Online says on its website that it is a private, nonprofit organization and not a government agency, law firm or legal clinic. Its Get Legal Help tool can connect residents to free and low-cost legal aid organizations, the site says.
Source: the original release