Welcome to your day-after-Christmas-oh-my-gosh-how-much-did-I-just spend-hangover. The good news is -- you aren't alone. The bad news is that there is no easy way to get rid of that post-holiday debt... despite what all those folks on your social media feed may say.

So how does this kind of scam work? The bad guys target consumers with significant credit card debt and promise to negotiate on your behalf to reduce the debt or get rid of it all together. They often charge an up-front fee and then fail to do much if anything. And, remember when you thought they were going to help you and you gave them all your personal info -- including your social security number, bank account number and credit card details? Well, now you are also at risk for ID theft.