UPDATE: I had a call today from one of the 3 people whose debt settlement I handled. She was very upset; has been getting calls from creditors about delinquency. She’s been putting money in her account but bills aren’t being paid. None of the phone numbers she was given work (including her “rep”) and she can’t get in touch with anyone to find out what’s going on. I told her (very nicely) I didn’t need detail since I am not associated with the debt settlement company and could also not offer any legal advice. Sensing her fear and frustration, I offered to see if I could find anything out. Several calls and some digging later, I found the holding company for Clear Creek Legal, the company that did her settlement. The young lady understood my question, saying they had had some problems and received other similar calls. I was able to get a phone number to pass back to my caller, who was very appreciative.
Once again, I’m so glad I’ve refused any more jobs from NPL or any other debt settlements. And FYI, I know they can cancel at any time. The gentleman who was the first one I did told me he decided to cancel the deal after getting a strong feel it was a scam. They did cancel but he did not recoup any money. (I coincidentally was assigned to him when he went with a refi.)
I am sleeping better since deciding to stay away from debt settlements.