Some debt consolidations are scams and you should educate yourself to completely understand what you are getting into and if it is right for you. Desperation can lead a person to make bad decisions. There is always someone out there looking to take advantage of desperate people. 

Ask yourself this. If you owe a lot of money and your credit has suffered why would someone want to lend you more money at a low rate. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. 

Some ways debt consolidators can turn your desperation into a nightmare are 1) up front fees, 2) hidden charges 3) bait and switch.