It’s a long running theme with a new twist – foreclosure scam artists defrauding homeowners at their weakest point. Scam artists have been targeting area homeowners since the start of the foreclosure crisis in 2008. Usually these scam artists are easy to spot if you know what to look for.

Here’s the new twist – according a recent Herald Tribune article, some lawyers have allegedly been soiling their own name to scam homeowners. Here’s more from the article’s author Josh Salman:

Florida homeowners have been targeted by one California law firm more than any other.Remedy Center & Associates of Newport Beach has drawn 172 complaints from Floridians in the Consumer Sentinel Network since the start of 2013, including many from consumers in Southwest Florida.

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One Manatee homeowner, whose name was redacted in FTC records, sent Remedy Center $4,095 for a modification. The money was collected up front. Remedy Center Law also refused to send the homeowner a copy of the signed contract, the FTC record states.

As Mr. Salman’s article “Selling Hope” points out, these scams appear to be popping up all over the country. And even though various federal and state regulators are starting to crack down on the fraudsters, it doesn’t help homeowners who have already lost so much.

Perhaps the worst part of this sad story is that disreputable foreclosure lawyers stain our entire industry.

I’ve met with many homeowners who have fallen for one scam or another. If only they had been referred to us first, we could have saved them the time, money, and heartache of falling for these sorts of frauds. Arm yourself with knowledge and you can stop yourself from becoming a victim.