First page of the Mortgage fraud archive.

Relief or Foreclosure?

Posted by Common Sense Security on 22. September 2014 with No Commentsas ,

Two years ago I wrote about mortgage fraud and ways to deal with it, but more people have been hurt since then and I would like to remind you to be vigilant.

When you are falling behind on your payments and somebody promises to dramatically reduce the amounts you have to pay monthly in exchange for a few fees and expenditures, you may feel you have to trust them, because this is your only chance to keep the roof over your head. Unfortunately, there are plenty of predators eager to benefit from your despair.

In one of the recent cases people lost almost 6 million dollars to the business with official and trust-inducing name of KATN. Its owners, however, used the money entrusted to them by anxious victims for their own pleasure and did not help a single homeowner. Swindlers promised  fast relief, told people to stop making their current mortgage payments and to only deal with KATN. As a result many hapless homeowners lost their homes to foreclosures.

Before giving your money to people or businesses you don’t know, always do as thorough check as possible about their reputation and existing complaints, as well as their history.

There are legitimate programs that you may be eligible for; check them out. Don’t let unscrupulous people exploit your desperation.

Mortgage fraud

Posted by Common Sense Security on 11. June 2012 with No Commentsas ,

Today I would like to tell you about some of the latest mortgage scams, for which the US Treasury Department recently published a fraud alert.

If you are having trouble with your mortgage, a call from a sympathetic organization that promises help for a “nominal” fee may sound like a godsend. Fraudsters can even mention existing programs, such as the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

However, if somebody asks for money upfront, this is most probably a scam. There exist free sources of help, such as Homeowner’s HOPE™ Hotline. If you need help with your mortgage, call them at 1-888-995-HOPE (1-888-995-4673) or contact them online at http://www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov and you will get legitimate and free help. They will tell you if you are eligible under HAMP and if yes, what you need to do to get relief.

If you have already been scammed by a fraudster who promised to help you with HAMP, call 1-877-744-2009 or visit http://www.SIGTARP.gov/pages/hotline.aspx and let them know what has happened to you. You can submit your information anonymously, if you don’t feel comfortable identifying yourself to the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

For more information and more sources of help, you can check out the original fraud alert here:

http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1592.aspx