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Real Estate & Finance News That Affects Your Home                                                     October 2008 - Page 3

FRAUD ALERT

Foreclosure Trouble Can Attract Con-Artist Scams

Homeowners facing possible foreclosure are especially vulnerable to the various schemes employed by today’s con artists. Don’t fall prey to their promises. The best first step is to call your lender at once if you think you may miss your mortgage payment.

Here are some scams to watch out for:

"Sign the deed over to me, and I’ll take care of the rest. It’s all about acquiring control of your property in exchange for various promises. The "investor" may promise to make up back payments owed to your lender or to sell your home to pay back the mortgage. He or she may ask you to move out immediately, or may offer you a rental agreement so you can continue living in the home, or may even offer cash for your equity in the home.

Unfortunately, signing over your home’s deed to a third party does not clear your obligation for the mortgage. Once the deed is signed over, the unscrupulous "investor" can start making money with the property--raise your rent payments to unaffordable levels, evict you, rent the property to someone else or set up a rent-to-own agreement that nets the "investor" a tidy amount of deposit money. Meanwhile, the con artist may not make your back payments or may skip town with whatever money was made from the property. You still owe the mortgage and your lender continues the foreclosure process against you.

"Just file for bankruptcy." Filing for bankruptcy typically only postpones the foreclosure rather than stopping it. However, bankruptcy could give you time to reorganize your finances and possibly save your home. If you decide to go this route, make sure you work with a reputable bankruptcy attorney and you understand the process and the likely outcomes, including the impact on your credit.

"We’ll negotiate with your lender to stop foreclosure. Simply pay our one-time fee." You might pay $500, $1,000 or more for a bogus "service" that may not stop foreclosure or that you could have accomplished yourself--for free--with calls to your lender. There are, however, legitimate organizations out there that really can help: contact the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at (800) 569-4287 for a list of HUD-approved counseling agencies or search online at www.HUD.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm.