You might think this is the worst time to try to negotiate a better deal with your credit card company, but you're mistaken.

It's true that the nation's credit crunch has resulted in card issuers reducing credit lines, canceling unused accounts and raising interest rates. But you don't have to sit by.

"It's kind of counterintuitive," said Curtis Arnold, founder of card-comparison Web site CardRatings.com and author of "How You Can Profit From Credit Cards."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/chi-090125-spending,0,1448939.story

A debt collection firm in Lithuania has hired the country's most famous self-styled witch to track down deadbeats. A spokesman said the new employee will use her "powers" to heal those "suffering from psychological impact of bankruptcy and depression."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99451294

It can happen on two fronts.

Either a legitimate company makes a mistake or a schemer is simply looking for ways to access your pocketbook.

We got a complaint about a company called NCO Financial Systems.

The company reportedly calls victims daily asking for repayment for a debt they don't owe.

In fact, the Federal Trade Commission fined NCO $.5 million for reporting inaccurate information to credit bureaus.