Foreclosure scamsters are active everywhere

Recent articles in various publications suggest that the upswing in real estate foreclosures have helped to create an opportunity for homeowner scams. One recent incident in California involved a person who mailed an offer to homeowners who were delinquent on their home mortgage promising help with a fraudulent rescue plan. She claimed that her company, Community Home Saver Program, could delay or even stop foreclosure proceedings. The program involved transferring an ownership interest in the property to one of several shell companies and the payment of certain fees. Before this scam was exposed, about a dozen homeowners had fallen victum after paying the fees. They all eventually lost their homes as well.

Targeting homeowners in distress is abhorrent but may be on the rise. Any homeowner that has fallen behind in their mortgage obligations have consulting services available to them that are free of charge. If you know of someone in distress please advise them to contact their local HUD office for a list of approved counseling services. Let's not be deceived by offers that seem to be too good to be true.

This is a list of HUD approved housing counseling services in the Puget Sound area.

• Acorn Housing, Seattle/Tacoma, WA
  134 SW 153rd St Burien, WA 98166
  206 243-4663
• Housing Hope
  5830 Evergreen Way Everett, WA 98203
  425 347-6556
• El Centro De La Raza
  2524 16th Ave S Seattle, WA 98144
  206 329-9442
• Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
  105 14th Ave Seattle, WA 98122
  206 461-3697
• Pierce County Housing Authority
  603 S Polk Tacoma, WA 98445
  253 620-5405

Published by Greg Saffell/South Sound Surfer
Foreclosure scamsters are active everywhere