Beware of Home Foreclosure Scammers

When you are facing home foreclosure, it feels like you’re on a sinking ship. You are looking for any way to save your home and your credit. You must always be mindful that there are home foreclosure scammers just laying in wait to take advantage of your misfortune. You might ask: How can I tell a home foreclosure scammer from a legitimate buyer?

Home foreclosure scammers work in different ways. One scam is a person may approach you and tell you that he/she is associated with some religious organization, trying to gain your trust on the introduction alone. This scammer will ask you to sign over your home. Don’t ever sign your home over to anyone, because your home will no longer be your home and the scammer will find a legal way to evict you.

Never sign your home to anyone before you get paid for it. Don’t ever accept a promise to pay, make sure you have the money before you sign your home over to anyone. Home foreclosure scammers come in all shapes and sizes, male and female. He/she may appear to be sympathetic to your dilemma and offer help. The scammer asks you to sign over the house and you agree to move out. The plan as you know it is that the home will be sold and you will walk away with your debt paid, and your dignity and credit intact; but instead you lost your home and you still own the debt.

Beware of counseling agencies that charge a fee to lower your house payment. Often these agencies do very little to help your situation. They take your money and do basically nothing. Before you spend money on a counselor, that may be nothing more than a home foreclosure scammer, contact a counseling agency through HUD. You can call them toll free at 1-800-569-4287.

Beware of anyone that offers to rescue you from foreclosure. The person will ask you to put his/her name onto your deed, so they can give you a loan and put a lien on your property. The plan is that you will pay off the rescue loan and have your property back in your name only when the debt is paid. This is how many people end up with their homes foreclosed on anyway, because the interest on the loan is so high, you may be paying payments higher than the original mortgage loan you were paying. If you default on this loan the home foreclosure scammer can then get a court order to have you evicted from your property.

To avoid being taken advantage of by a home foreclosure scammer, be sure to only deal with reputable companies that have been in business a long time. Beware of anyone that approaches you unsolicited; this should be a red flag that this may be a home foreclosure scammer.