With inflation and the cost of living, Ryan Torres has struggled to pay his bills. “Groceries and rent were my two biggest ones,” said Torres. “Grocery bills were through the roof. I have two kids, so that was expensive.” The Indianapolis father and teacher has used his credit card to help bridge the gap. “I had to get a new washer and dryer, that was my first big one,” said Torres. “I put a couple months of rent on there. It just snowballed from there.” His credit card debt ballooned to $12,000 in 2021.“It just got out of hand,” said Torres. “Your mental health takes such a hit when you see those credit card bills come in and you think I’m never going to be able to pay this off and I’m going to be in debt for the rest of my life.”

A new report reveals Americans now have a whopping $1.14 trillion in credit card debt, which is a 5.8% increase from just a year ago.  

“Honestly I was really embarrassed to call,” said Torres. “It's not an easy thing to admit you've dug yourself into a hole, but I needed help. It was either that or bankruptcy and I wasn't willing to do People in desperate situations can take desperate measures, like falling for scams and ripoffs. To read more click here.