Orlando Foreclosure Defense

Crime does not always involve a gun, sometimes its the seductive words of a clever con artist that knows exactly what to say to a desperate person. The promise of professional help from supposed experts is always an alluring prospect. Most people are trusting and honest, they will take people at their word that this expert is licensed and sincere in their advances to help the homeowner out of their troubles. Con artists will falsely tell a desperate homeowner they have a special relationship with lenders and guarantee they can stop foreclosure. The promise to deliver on saving the homeowners home is seductive and blinding. These con artists have used this to their advantage to rip off unsuspecting homeowners.

One of the most popular ways the con artist will operate is by asking for money up front for their fees with the promises that they will negotiate with the lender on their behalf. These con artist, if they do negotiate with the lender are either doing the bare minimum phone calls or more likely doing nothing at all. It is a growing problem in the state of Florida, and has gotten the attention of the government. Since October 2008, Florida’s Economic Crimes Division has filed 17 civil lawsuits for mortgage fraud or foreclosure rescue violations, recovered $1.5 million in restitution for distressed homeowners and shut down several businesses. The Attorney General’s office has also investigated 83 businesses for potential violations of Florida’s Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Prevention Act. This problem is real and present in Florida, there are street signs on telephone polls promising the world to homeowners, or they prey on them over the telephone.

The most important thing for any home owner to be is skeptical of any one promising them help, especially if the person offering you help is contacting you over the internet or telephone. Having to pay for a service before you get it should always serve as a warning to any home owner that the person you are dealing with may be up to no good. “If consumers are asked for an up-front fee, are told to stop making their loan payments, or are guaranteed” a modified loan - it’s a tip off to a rip off,” said David Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 3:07 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.