They’ve cropped up everywhere:Advertisements,fliers or even personalized letters promising “Stop Foreclosure Now!” or “We Can Save Your Home. Guaranteed.” According to the Federal Trade Commission and a Kansas City Star article,they’re probably scams. And as foreclosures have risen,more homeowners have gotten hooked.
Kansas City has joined the national NeighborWorks America campaign to help strapped homeowners avoid illegal loan-modification scams and connect with legitimate housing counselors instead,state and community leaders said Monday. “People are hurting,there’s no doubt about it,” said C. Steven Baker,the FTC’s Midwest Region director. “Unfortunately,there are people out there who want to take advantage of what little money these folks have left.” 
Reports of loan-relief scams have jumped on both sides of the state line,said attorneys general Chris Koster of Missouri and Steve Six of Kansas. Koster said his office saw 25 complaints in 2007 and 2008. Since January 2009,he’s received 290. Six said his office got 71 complaints in 2008 and 171 in 2009. Missouri and Kansas have taken action against eight fraudulent loan-relief operations so far,the attorneys general said. Unfortunately,Six said,people in desperate situations sometimes respond to scam offers they wouldn’t otherwise consider.
“One of the things we’ve found is that people sometimes don’t know where to turn,” he said. In three years,foreclosure-related calls to the United Way of Greater Kansas City’s 211 referral line have gone from zero to 144 to 600,President Brent Stewart said.
Read more:http://www.kansascity.com/2010/03/09/1801438/foreclosure-rescue-scams-proliferate.html#ixzz0hyyOPPcc
