Foreclosure Scam Artists Playing Havoc
Thursday, December 27th, 2007On the heels of the devastation left behind by the foreclosure catastrophe are slinking in the vultures and jackals to pick the bones of the dead and dying. These are the scammers – aptly called scam artists for their ability to act out the part of genuine helpers.
Their first suggestion is that the foreclosure victim should never press forward with filing documents, as this will make them lose whatever chances they have of saving their houses.
Bill Postmus, the County Assessor of San Bernardino County is alerting the local people facing foreclosures to be aware of these scammers who are trying to take over the property themselves. They do not have any conscience and are absolutely without morals. They make a living by preying on the vulnerable and unsuspecting house owners who are somehow embattling the foreclosure waves and trying to keep themselves afloat. These scams were first noted in many north California counties.
As a precautionary measure those facing foreclosure sales are advised to file their deeds in the recording office of the county while conveying a percentage interest to any third interested party. The deed shows a maximum transfer tax of $1,000 that will be required.
The troubled house owners are being repeatedly told that by transferring a part interest in the property they can avoid foreclosure. It is expected that the owners will record the documents and then deposit the amount into a third party checking account. But Postmus is warning that this will never halt the foreclosure process.
The only way to avoid scams is become aware of the evil and be on the alert. Reports of such duping are on the rise. The District Attorney of San Bernardino started off investigations on these foreclosure-prevention scams focusing on the vulnerable foreclosure victims. More awareness programmes must be generated.
It is the law of Nature that scavengers clean up the mess left by an epidemic. As such there is nothing to be surprised about rats emerging from dark holes to eke out a living from the stench of death. Scavengers have always been a despicable part of life and it is not surprising that scammers will try to penetrate into this danger zone and fatten themselves. What is surprising is that too late society is waking up to this peril and issuing warning notices. Already a lot of damage has been done.
