defaulted gsl-CA is AI-need advice or suggestions
In 1988 & 1989 I borrowed 19K in gsl, at somewhere between 9 & 10 percent interest. When I grad in 1990 my payments were around $900. a month. I never earned enough money to pay that amount. Since 1990 I've been very careful to not incure any more debt. In 1992 I saved up and paid $1300. At one time, but found it was applied toward interest only, so I stopped trying to save up. But as the interest and penalties have compounded on the unpaid balance, I now owe around 60K. I'm just one of lifes’ losers. My income has not gone to pay for a high life. I've barely survived since 1990. I've never bought a new car or made car payments. I don't spend money on new clothes, shoes, makeup or hair do's. I buy at thrift stores or free from food banks. I do all my own personal upkeep. I don't drink, or drug, or party. I live very simply. I just have never made much money. Over the years I have tried a few times to talk to whatever CA had my defaulted loan, about a payment plan I could afford, but they wouldn't consider the amount I could afford. AI has been after me for several years. They have called my Mother up to 12 times a day for weeks at a time. Two or 3 times a year they call all of her neighbors and tell them the story of her dead beat daughter and tell them to go to my mothers house and tell her to tell me to call them. Many of them have done as AI told them. In 2004 I offered them an OIC of 25K. They refused. I had just sold my small business and I netted that amount. I sold my business because I hurt my back and I couldn't do the work. I had the business for 4 years and broke even, but never made a profit. I haven't worked since then. Mostly I have just been in pain and despair. I used the 25K and sold most of my possessions to live on. Earlier this year I ran out of money and was contemplating suicide as a way out. Before I acted on that I got sick and was taken to the emergency while I was unconcious. It turned out not to be serious but the debt came to over 20K. I didn’t know what to do Thankfully other people knew more about the system than me and they took me to the welfare office and helped me to apply. I was shocked and amazed. I had no idea there was help for old women like me. Anyway the state sent me to 2 of their doctors. One for a pysch eval and one for a physical eval. Both doctors found that I was too disabled to work. Welfare then required me to apply for federal ss disability benefits. Two months later ss notified me that I didn't qualify for ss disability because I had no earnings in ss disability because I hadn't paid into the account since 1999. But I did qualify for ssi disability of $637. per month (it's like a pauper program). Last month I received my first payment of $637. Right after I received my first check I received a Dept of ED letter asking for payment, and advising me they were going to collect by treasury offset against all payment streams allowed by law. This letter also provided their accepted ways to dispute the debt. One of the ways was to submit a loan forgiveness application based on total and complete disability. I wanted to find out more about this so I called the Dept of ED # on the letter. I spoke to Tabitha and she told me that I needed to talk to AI, as they would be the ones to have final approval of any loan forgiveness application which was submitted. So, I made the mistake of calling AI yesterday. It was awful. I spoke to Adrian, then to Mike Cleveland. Mike told me that they would never approve a disability loan forgiveness app from me. He told me that I was using a fake disability as way to get out of paying them and that it was all a scam. He said I wasn't disabled and that I had been trying that scam with them since 1998. He said he was contacting the ss people and telling them that I had scammed them and that I wasn't disabled. He also said he was contacting the irs and have me audited for the past 10 years. He said they would find a way to jam me up. He said that if I didn't immediately send them full payment, or immediately send them $375.47, and do so for 9 months (rehab program which I didn't understand), that he would act on all of his threats and he would make it his life's work to ruin my life. He screamed at me, ridiculed me, humiliated me. I was terrified and in tears. I agreed to send him $375.47. He said all calls would end immediately. About 10 minutes after I hung up they started calling my Mom's # again. It was the first call in a few weeks. I don't have the money to pay them. My rent is $300. That leaves $337 for expenses. He told me that I had to call him back today and give him the money order # (He wanted my credit card-or my checking account #, but I said no). So, I called him today, got his voice mail, and left a message that I couldn't pay. I asked if there were other payment terms we could consider. I also told him that his threats to me yesterday had left me terrified & emotionally devastated and suicidal. Also that I was considering getting legal advise because I don't think it's right to make those kinds of threats.
Anyway, I'm scared. I don't know what to do. They don't have my cell # so they haven't been able to call me but they are harassing my mother who is 78 years old with a severe heart condition. I didn't scam disability. It wasn't even my idea to apply for it. I never even talked to them in 1998 so I couldn't have tried to scam them a disability claim. I know I haven't handled this well and I've been foolish, but I would greatly appreciate any suggestions, advice or help, from anyone who knows what they are talking about. I can't see my therapist until next week, but I do have an emergency hotline #. Being suicidal is not a joke, it's not fun. To be so scared and full of despair to have to die to get relief is not a fun way to live. tina personal information removed.