Are you having a hard time making the mortgage every month? Maybe affording your home has been a consistent struggle for you and your family. Maybe the financial hardship is new. No matter your situation, the frustration regarding your mortgage payments can make you vulnberable to heartless scammers out there.
No one enjoys being unable to pay for their mortgage. In fact, delinquent payments can make many people feel emotional, ashamed and worried about their family’s stability. These emotions are what make some easy targets for foreclosure scams.
The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office and Federal Trade Commission warn consumers about these scams. Unethical parties out there might try the following tricks to fool you out of your hard-earned money:
False promise
Scammers might contact you with big promises. They might play into your worry and shame about late mortgage payments and offer to help save you from foreclosure. The catch is the fee that the so-called “helpers” will require you to pay first. That fee is all they are looking for. When they get it, they will keep the money and neglect to help you.
Wrong papers
Be careful about signing anything from parties offering to help you avoid foreclosure without the guidance and presence of your own foreclosure defense lawyer. One common scam is for con artists to pretend they are arranging a new home loan for you and having you actually sign papers that give them your home. Talk about a big and expensive loss for you and your family.
Sadly, there are even more tricks used to get unsuspecting consumers in trouble. We will discuss this foreclosure issue in a future post. For now, if you are worried about losing your home, talking to a foreclosure defense lawyer is an effective way to get some clarity about the situation.