Obviously, per the article title, debt relief programs are not as benign as they'd like for you to think. It works like so: You sign up with a debt settlement company. Clearly there is one positive about a debt relief program. Some lenders even refuse to work with debt settlement companies. If you are faced with a financial situation where you feel a debt relief program is your only option, try doing a DIY version first.

Source: Forbes March 19, 2018 19:31 UTC