TT, there are several things that you need to do. First, you need to know your rights. Second, you need to stop living in fear. Answer your cell phone, explain your situation, and tell them that you are desperately looking for a job. As others have stated, collection agents get paid when you pay and will say anything and everything in order to get money. If you can't pay, they will package your account with others and will sell it to some other collection agency. Collecting on debts is like prospecting. You buy a package of accounts, you exhaust them, and then you sell them and get some more.

Also, you need to realize that the times have changed and given the recent economic woes that the country has experienced, millions of Americans have defaulted on their loans. Collection agencies, banks, and other interest groups are not going to sue you unless you are worth something. Suing people in this sense...is part of a business. You don't sue unless there's profit to be made.

I just want to reiterate that you should keep the lines of communication open...you have nothing to lose by being upfront. At the same time, you need to figure out a long term solution for yourself. You really need to figure out a way to become economically independent, which means taking care of yourself before your relatives. It's not being selfish and it's what they should want for you. I strongly recommend that you don't gamble or even view gambling and poker freerolls as a means of solving your problems.