Foreclosure Mortgage Scam Defense

The recent rush of home foreclosures has led to many foreclosure scams.  A foreclosure rescue scam can happen in a number of different ways, each of which is designed to cheat the homeowner out of money at a time when the homeowner is in desperate financial circumstances.  Accordingly, the United States government and individual state governments are cracking down hard on foreclosure scams. If you have been accused of a foreclosure scam you should immediately contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer, even if you are confident that your actions were lawful.

A foreclosure rescue scam typically happens in one of a few ways.  Homeowners should be aware of the following types of popular foreclosure scams, including the:

• “I’ll Help You Scam”: this scam happens when homeowners are made to believe that they are hiring a company that will handle all foreclosure matters and help them stay in their home.  The homeowners are often charged outrageously high fees for the company to make a few phone calls or other do other light work that the homeowner could easily do on his own and that the company does not intend to stop the foreclosure.
• “Sign Over the Deed and Pay Rent Scam”: this scam occurs when a homeowner is encouraged to sign over the deed to his home and rent back the home so that the homeowner can continue to live in the home and work toward regaining ownership.  The terms of the agreement often make it impossible for the homeowner to regain ownership of the home and even to remain in the home.  The homeowner is most often evicted leaving the homeowner with nowhere to live and no home equity.
• “Signing False Papers Scam”: this scam involves homeowners being advised to sign papers that they believe are advantageous to them but that are really detrimental and often result in homeowners losing any equity that they had in their home and being worse off financially than if their home had been foreclosed.

Get Legal Help if You’ve Been Accused of a Foreclosure Scam

If you have been accused of a foreclosure scam then the legal penalties can be significant.  An experienced criminal defense lawyer can help you defend yourself against these charges and protect your rights.