Product: Debt collection

I was unemployed for almost a year ( from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX ) after being let go by the XXXX XXXX  XXXX-XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX   XXXX/XXXX. They were angry at me for doing my job as XXXX XXXX XXXXwhich was to report their financial malfeasance, racism, student endangerment, and misogyny in audit reports distributed to the university 's board of regents. With no job/no income, my home is now in foreclosure due to being 4 months behind on mortgage payments. 


Although now employed, my salary is so low that I'm still near poverty wages. Despite 30+ years of XXXX/XXXX XXXX, corporations here dont hire experienced XXXX females. So as a XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX for a small XXXX, I make {$50000.00} per year -- before taxes and medical insurance. 


I direly need my refund to catch up on the 4 late mortgage payments -- to keep my home! Yet the Department of Education seized my ENTIRE XX/XX/XXXX refund of {$8800.00} for a Parent Plus Loan that they've allowed a collection agency to double the balance owed on -- from approx {$9000.00} to {$18000.00}! 


For the Department of Education to contract with a spurious agency like Account Control Technology ( ACT ) and allow ACT to double my loan balancewith no explanation, no documentation, no applying my previous loan paymentsto {$18000.00}, and then seize my tax refund after I've been jobless for a yearit 's horrific! 


I can only say approximately {$9000.00} because I'm deprived by both DOE and ACT of access ( electronic or paper ) to my loan information and details, especially details of how the loan doubled in year. 


Although my wages are near poverty level, I am grateful, still, that I have a job. It is one of only two jobs I was offered despite applying for over 300 XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for which I was very qualified. The other job I was offered was to be a part-time XXXX XXXX XXXX where I would have to handle XXXX XXXX that could weigh up to 100 pounds. I would be on call 24/7, required to work weekends, holidays, and any other time that the XXXX  supervisor called. I am a female and almost XXXX years old -- at $ XXXX/hr, the XXXX XXXX XXXX job is not appealing. 


Background on my interactions with ACT : In XX/XX/XXXX, while still employed, ACT contacted me about my Parent Plus Loan. I was suspicious of ACT, and believed it to be a scam agency because their representatives ( 1 ) used high-pressure, abusive and demoralizing language, ( 2 ) refused to explain how the loan doubled from my owing approx {$9000.00} to {$18000.00}, and ( 3 ) refused to send me any documentation about the loan and the additional {$9000.00} in charges -- unless I first verbally agreed to enter into an agreement with them by phone, which they would record. 


After receiving several calls from ACT in XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted DOE, who confirmed that my loan was sold to ACT, but refused to explain how my loan balance doubled to {$18000.00}. I then called ACT back to work towards making a payment arrangement. I was laid off, however, before I could make payment arrangements. Shortly after losing my job, I called ACT and explained that I had no income and could not afford any payment arrangements due to living on unemployment, while trying to keep my home, car, pay utilities, and also keep gas in my car to go on job interviews.