Foreclosure Rescue Scams Exposed

Part 9) HOW TO FIND A LAWYER

1) To fight a foreclosure rescue scam artist, you will need a lawyer. The best way to find a good attorney is the old fashioned way -- ask a trusted source who can refer you personally.

When I was in business as a realtor my clients counted on my advice to find contractors, exterminators, home inspectors, lenders, attorneys, you name it. In the beginning, I didn't know who was good and who was not, so I looked to my mentor. She had been in the real estate business for over 20 years and knew the good guys from the bad guys.

If my client needed a concrete contractor, I knew Cheryl could recommend an honest one. She always pointed me to good people. She was my trusted source for finding reliable business people in the area.

Personal referral is the best way to find not only a lawyer, but any vender of goods and services.

2) If you do not have a trusted source who can give you a personal referral, you can find a reputable attorney at the web-site for the National Association of Attorneys General http://www.naag.org/

The site contains links to every state Attorney General's office.

If you think you have dealt with a foreclosure rescue scam artist you can lodge a complaint with your AG as well as other authorities. Your attorney general will investigate your complaint and determine if legal action is warranted.

3) At the National Association of Consumer Advocates http://www.naca.net/ you can find a list of consumer lawyers for each state. The attorneys listed specialize in all types of consumer-fraud cases, not just foreclosure rescue scams. There are many different types of fraud, so these attorneys are grouped together according to the type of fraud in which they specialize.

4) Legal Services (also known as "legal aid") provides help for those who cannot afford an attorney. Visit http://www.lsc.gov/ for a list of state programs.

5) Call your local consumer-protection agency to find a knowledgeable consumer attorney. For a list of consumer protection agencies or to file complaint, go to http://consumeraction.gov/state.shtml

6) You can also try The American Bar Association. On their site, you can also search for lawyers by state. Their web-site is athttp://www.abanet.org/lawyerlocator/searchlawyer.html or visithttp://www.abanet.org/legalservices/findlegalhelp/home.cfm

Very few people who are taken in by a foreclosure rescue scam artist report their experience to any authority. It's probably because being scammed makes us feel embarrassed. But sometimes victims do not even know they have been scammed. They are told by the scammer that things just didn't work out. The trusting homeowners believe that the process went forward and their home was lost in legitimate foreclosure proceedings.

There are seminars being held all across the country teaching people how to "make millions by investing in foreclosed properties." Many of these seminars teach the attendees how to deceive vulnerable homeowners -- basically teaching how to perpetrate a foreclosure rescue scam. Many states do not require licensing for loan brokers or originators, so beware.

No national registry has been established for tracking foreclosure scammers and their unscrupulous activities. Without a data base, it is hard to even know where to go to find out who the bad guys are. No one is "connecting the dots", as it were.

Matters are in the hands of the individual consumer to arm himself with knowledge.

As a general rule anyone who contacts you offering to help with a foreclosure or stop a foreclosure should be viewed with great suspicion.

You can find legitimate help to save your home. I wish you only the best in your pursuit of happiness.

God bless!