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Forget the credit score for now and focus on settling your debts. You could try Freedom Debt Relief or National Debt Relief, but check their fees first. You could also negotiate on your own and save money. The key is to start somewhere—do you have enough income to start making payments?
Your credit won’t improve until the debts are dealt with. Stop applying for new credit—you’ll keep getting denied. Start by saving up to settle your debts one by one. Once you’re done, apply for secured credit cards to rebuild your score. This will take time, but it’s doable. Don’t fall for shady online ads promising quick fixes. Just focus on cleaning up the mess step by step.
@Kei
Thanks a lot! I’ll start working on settling those debts. One question though—can my money get garnished by the bank if I take too long?
Dustin said:
@Kei
Thanks a lot! I’ll start working on settling those debts. One question though—can my money get garnished by the bank if I take too long?
I’d suggest looking into a debt management plan like ACCC instead of going with a debt settlement company. Or, if things get too overwhelming, maybe talk to a lawyer about bankruptcy.
Dustin said:
@Kei
Thanks a lot! I’ll start working on settling those debts. One question though—can my money get garnished by the bank if I take too long?
Good news—they can’t garnish your wages unless they get a court judgment first. Bad news—they could sue if they wanted to. Best approach is to keep things quiet until you’re ready to settle. Remove your job info from your credit reports so they don’t know where you work. It’ll make it harder for them to come after you.
@Kei
So what do I do if they sue me? Should I just ignore it? Sorry for all the questions 
Dustin said:
@Kei
So what do I do if they sue me? Should I just ignore it? Sorry for all the questions
Never ignore a lawsuit! If you do, they’ll win by default, and you’ll owe even more, including extra fees. Check the date of your first missed payment and your state’s statute of limitations. If it’s been a while, they might not even be able to sue you.
For settling, find out who owns the debt. If it’s still with the original creditor, try to negotiate directly with them. If it’s with a collection agency, see if they’ll agree to a pay-for-delete deal. That way, they remove the negative marks from your credit report once you pay.
Don’t reset the clock by admitting the debt is yours or making any payments until you have a written settlement agreement.