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"TRUE CONFESSIONS" ON "20/20"

It's the most wonderful time of the year - the holiday cheer is in full swing. But so are the grinches who take advantage of unsuspecting consumers. How can you protect yourself during the holiday season? Industry insiders spill secrets about their business practices... some naughty, some nice. "True Confessions" airs on "20/20" on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Reports include:

· Debt Collectors: No doubt, many people are starting to rack up big balances on their credit cards with all that holiday shopping. But tonight, the exclusive voice mail messages "20/20" has obtained from debt collectors - feverishly working the phones to get back what they can of America's unpaid debt. Some so threatening and outrageous, they sound like pranks. One woman was so terrorized by the tactics employed by the collector; she sued him, and won. "20/20" pays a visit to the man behind the tormenting messages. Rebecca Jarvis reports.

· Shoplifter: Does your holiday shopping list include a visit to a toy store sometime soon? While you are there, you might want to keep an eye out for the man Matt Gutman interviews tonight - a master shoplifter who walks Gutman through his tawdry tales of ripping off toy stores to the tune of over $1 million. "20/20" has surveillance footage captured on store security cameras, exposing just how the master shoplifter swindled his way into shoplifting infamy.

· Exterminators: T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house, a creature was stirring - but was it a mouse? A bad exterminator can be like a bad Santa, with bad practices that can fumigate your finances. What happens when your pest control "expert" misses a termite infestation and your house is ruined beyond repair? And what about those bed-bug sniffing dogs? What happens when they issue a false alarm? Our hidden cameras are there to put Fido to the test. Paula Faris reports.

· Lost and Found: Traveling this holiday season? What happens when your precious items get stuck in the backroom known as the Lost and Found? Travel experts explain how likely or unlikely it is for anyone to recover their items and why. "20/20" puts the experts' claims to the test with a cross-country trek - leaving track-able valuables at hotels, rental cars, taxis and on airplanes. Gio Benitez is on the case.

· Christmas Tree Sellers: Avert a Christmas catastrophe! Paula Faris talks to real tree farmers that give her the do's and don'ts of buying. From size to sap, from Noble needles to Nordmann fir... there really are secrets to the selection process.

"20/20" is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and David Muir. David Sloan is senior executive producer.