If so, you're not alone, and I'm writing this blog to find other people out there in the same position. UPDATE: We've already had quite a number of people email us!! Thank you!! Please read below and email us with your stories... Cameron Okolita markets themselves as trustee and agency that helps people that are having financial problems due to credit card debts. They offer people a channel to consolidate their payments, whether owed to credit cards or to the bank, and allow for low monthly payments. But I think this is far from the reality of their business model. I think Cameron Okolita isn't here to help anyone but themselves, that they are a business and here to make a profit, and are doing anything in their means, and with their understanding of the law to bully and squeeze every dollar out of people like my family members. I see a mask, a double personality hidden really well in a fancy downtown "law firm" looking office and official "legal" looking business cards, which in my opinion, they are far from. Here's a scenario my family member is in, they racked up a credit card debt, approx $8, 000. Owed to multiple credit cards agencies and couldn't keep up with the calls and letters from collectors. They saw Cameron's Okolita's debt relief advertisements, and saw a light with fresh air being pumped in from a tiny hole, into the bigger hole they have gotten themselves into. They called Cameron Okolita for help, because they were the only shoulder to lean on to help them out of this mess and to embarrassed to talk to the family about. Cameron Okolita welcomed them in and offered to simplify their payments into low monthly payments. Before taking on their business though, they did some background research whether they owned any property, vehicles or anything else of value that would minimize their risk of taking them on as a client "to help". Now, they didn't own anything but happened to have their name on their family's home. Cameron Okolita gladly set them up on a low monthly payment plan, something they could easily afford, about $200 a month. And life was good, things were great! The collectors stop calling, the letters stopped. But this is when things got crazy, 3 to 4 months into their payment plan, Cameron Okolita, during one of their monthly meetings, and through a letter in the mail, increased their monthly payments. They doubled their rates, so now their monthly $200 payment became $400. Why? When asking them, they said, "you have assets of value under your name, and they are obligated to the creditors to pay off your debt as quickly as possible." Now, they clearly knew they couldn't afford the monthly payment hike, otherwise they would've easily been able to pay of their credit card debt. Now their name was on "assets of value" because their family had placed their name on their house as one of the owners, even though they didn't own it and haven't contributed a penny. But for the reason that they are part of the family. This is where things got ugly, their monthly rates were doubled and could barely afford food payments. After making several payments, they defaulted on one of Cameron Okolita's new payment plan and a single $400 a month payment wasn't paid. Cameron Okolita called them up and said that they didn't make the required monthly payments, and because of that they breeched their contract. Now, they sent a realtor out to asses the value of their family's home and put a lien on the house. They got a lawyer and started the paperwork to divide up how much of the "Assets of value / House" that my family member owned (although in reality non of it.), the retail value of what they could sell the house for, and will sent it to them in a "registered mail". They sent this once every few weeks, and assured them of the "seriousness of this matter". With the feeling of being cornered, and the feeling they had nowhere to turn, they called Cameron Okolita up, and booked an appointment with the trustee that supposedly "helped" them along the whole process. They sat them down and told them, there's "no way out", and that they have no choice but to final bankruptcy, let them take their family's house, and pay off the debt owed. Now that initial debt of $8000, by this time the rest of their family and friends got involved, they love them and wanted to help. But Cameron Okolita said paying the original $8000 wasn't enough, and said if they wanted to pay off the debt owing, then the cost will be $8000, plus $5000 in legal fees, and $10, 000 in their own administration fees. Now they owed them nearly $23, 000 to get out of this whole mess. Where I think Cameron Okolita purchased this debt from the credit card companies for half price, this is what bankruptcy collection agencies usually do, they pickup debt from companies that can't collect for a fraction of the original debt owed, then use their skills to go after the persons owing money. Our family was pretty choked that they brought on this whole mess, but with love, they wanted to put up a fight. So they gave $2000 to get a lawyer to get them out of this mess. At first, things were going great, the new lawyer stopped Cameron Okolita from taking them to court, and got them to agree to settle for $15, 000 which is less than the $23, 000 they were asking for. They were happy! The family was happy! and were ready to pay Cameron Okolita off, but this is where things went wrong again. Cameron Okolita worked our relationship with the lawyer, knowing every email, every call was costing us more money. And Cameron Okolita took their time, and took even more time, knowing that the more they delayed the more money it would squeeze out of us, they did this until we could no longer afford our new lawyer. So, trying to be the money conscious person now, and not create any more expense for the family lending the money... they let their lawyer go... Now alone again, and this is where the intimidation, what I think is clearly bullying, started up again from Cameron Okolita, with registered letters of the value of the house and percentage the family member is entitled too. Does this sound familiar to you? I think there are many others out there in the same position, and I want to put a stop to this and show the courts, the judge, the media and the world what these "Bankruptcy Payment Consolidators" such as Cameron Okolita are doing to good people, all to make a profit.
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