Scams--BEWARE!!

I know I've written about this before, but, as time goes on, people either sometimes forget the message or hadn't seen the original one. As with any serious issue, along with legitimate assistance to people in trouble, there are those others who, like maggots, crawl out from under the nearest rock beneath which they have been hiding. In this case, it's foreclosure relief scams. Although the numvber of forecloseures are decreasing from their highs of a couple of years ago, the number of scams reported has increased dramatically! It's as if these scum realize that their time at the trough of other peoples' misery may be coming to a close, so they want to make sure that they don't miss a chance to screw anyone, possibly you, out of their homes. Latest stats out show that, according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), while total cases dropped to about 69,000 reported cases of all types in 2012, the number of scam 'rescues' appears to have reversed itself. In the last reporting period, an increase in rescue scams of over 54% from the prior year was reported. So, the word here is: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you still want to avail yourself of a 'wonderful' offer to avoid foreclosure, ask for references from the person making the offer and ask for time to check them out with local police and regulatory authorities, as well as local banking officials. If the offeror tells you there's no time for such checks, or you have to act now or you'll lose your chance, let him go--this is the first sign that the only one he's truly interested in helping is himself. As always, Good Luck.