'Gov't agency' sued by attorney General - Another mortgage modification Scam - By: Billy Alverado

If you are a troubled homeowner who is concerned with facing foreclosure, you will pray you can find help to get out of your situation. So if you were to receive a letter in your mail from a 'government' agency offering to recue you from your financial burden, chances are you would jump at it. You may even jump at it if that 'government' agency told you they needed an up-front retainer fee of $1,800 and an up-front processing fee of $200 and on top of that they needed an hourly rate of $125 for future services.

Well if that sounds like a bit of a stretch, then you should have a discussion with anyone of the many families in Florida, Illinois and Minnesota that were victims of the National Foreclosure Counseling Services Corporation. Troubled homeowners in these states were victims of this so called 'government' affiliated service provider.

NFCS Corp. was soliciting their services in exactly the manner described above. They would send out these official looking documents offering to help distressed homeowners, and then they would collect their exuberant fees and do nothing. The Attorney General issued an injunction against National Foreclosure Counseling Services requiring the company to immediately stop demanding up-front fees from customers before providing services.

The Attorney Generals Fraud Task force in Florida, investigated National Foreclosure Counseling Services after receiving complaints that they were luring customers by using mailings that implied they were an official Government agency. These letters stated that the homeowner had been "hand selected" for a special program being conducted by "Government Insured Institutions" and that this program was a last chance against foreclosure.
However this so called Government agency allegedly would require the homeowner to sign a "working agreement" and then hand over large sums of money in order to receive the government help.

While Florida's Attorney General issued the lawsuit, this is not the only grievance filed against this so-called Government special project. National Foreclosure Counseling Services had already been sued by the Attorney Generals of both Illinois and Minnesota. Reportedly they have been conducting business nationwide so there is a possibility that if you are facing foreclosure that you may have received one of these letters offering to rescue you from your situation. If you have received one of these notices you should contact your states Attorney General.

While States like Florida are issuing heavy penalties to fraudulent agencies such as NFCS, this does not seem to be slowing down the amount of occurrences of Scam Artist's trying to take your money for offering rescue services they never intend to provide. So, if it has gotten so bad that these Scams are now starting to imply that they are 'Government affiliated' then where do you turn and how do you get help if you can not trust someone who claims to be a Government agency?

1. The first thing you need to do is make sure you NEVER PAY SOMEONE UPFRONT for services they 'are going to provide". An honest reputable agency will not charge you upfront as a matter of fact they will probably offer you a free consultation.
2. Make sure you hire an agency that is going to fight for you and not just rollover and accept the first offer made by the mortgage company. Typically the mortgages companies' mitigation department will offer you a modification that probably won't help.
3. Find someone who will stop the harassing phone calls. A reputable agency will field the phone calls, protecting you from harassing calls. They will also save you time and headaches by handling the monotonous process of getting thru the loan agencies phone service. As we mentioned above this can be very trying. An experienced agency will know how to get thru to the lender without going thru this process. Chances are they will know someone on the 'inside'.
4. Find an agency that has a reputation for buying you time to get back on track. If you do get a grace period DO NOT SPEND YOUR HOUSE PAYMENTS.

So even if you receive an 'official' looking document by a 'government' affiliated agency offering to rescue you from foreclosure, DO NOT PAY THEM IN ADVANCE. Protect yourself from these scam artists and use good judgment when finding a negotiation agency to help you.

Discover how you can ethically modify your home mortgage loan and save as much as 47% off your current mortgage payment in as little as 60 days without refinancing? For your FREE CD, FREE e-book, and FREE coaching call with Mortgage Modification Expert and Business Man of the Year Billy Alvaro visit our website Saint Jude's Mortgage Rescue

About the Author

For your FREE CD, FREE e-book, and FREE coaching call with Mortgage Modification Expert and Business Man of the Year Billy Alvaro visit http://www.RescuedBySaintJude.com Saint Jude's Mortgage Rescue

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Billy-Alverado/71077

Additional Articles From - Home | Business | Moving services