- Disreputable scam artists target Americans facing foreclosure
- Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller vows revenge
- Let’s hope the tricksters face the music soon
As Mishawka on the South Bend River in Indiana, and many other little known American towns besides find themselves lost in the foreclosure desert, the confidence tricksters and other vultures are descending to pick their bones clean.
The case of Steve Garcia is just one emerging tragedy. His health had recently taken a bad turn. He had lost the use of one eye, and, with that, the ability to work in his occupation. Moreover his marriage was on the rocks, and his home was nearing foreclosure. When Steve received a mail shot from USA Mortgage Aid Incorporated offering foreclosure counseling and assistance he was delighted. This, he believed, was the helping hand that would pull him free of his snowballing problems.
Unfortunately for Steve Garcia, the only thing that happened was that USA Mortgage Aid Incorporated relieved him of $1,700 for nothing in return.
Applause, please, for knight-in-shining-armor Greg Zoeller alias Indiana Attorney General. He’s as mad as a spitting cobra that just got trodden on, and has just filed a lawsuit against USA Mortgage Aid Incorporated on Garcia’s behalf, alleging that the firm has added him to the hundreds of other Americans that they have crooked out of their hard earned money.
“Since the foreclosure crisis, many businesses have popped up, touting themselves as mortgage rescue companies,” Zoeller is quoted as having said. “The modus operandi is usually the same – money up front, help later [if ever].”
Steve Garcia was asked to sign a counseling agreement and make two $850 payments – good money for some at $170,000 per every 100 Americans duped.
According to Zoeller, in the process USA Mortgage Aid Incorporated ran foul of several statutes designed to protect consumers. These included demanding Garcia’s payments, and not being correctly bonded. He also alleges that it misrepresented its intentions and lied to consumers when it claimed at have in-depth industry knowledge.
Garcia, along with many fellow victims, realized that he had been scammed when nothing happened for months after he had paid, and contacted his lender for advice. Fortunately for him, there’s help at hand, although whether or not he will get his $1,700 back is another story.
USA Mortgage Aid Incorporated appears to have been dissolved leaving just a telephone answering machine behind. Here’s hoping Indiana Attorney General Zoeller continues to pursue the principles behind this latest example of highway robbery, and puts them behind bars real soon. In the interim Zoeller’s office will soon be hosting a number of informative workshops on foreclosure alternatives with known leaders in the local real estate industry.
If you need to know more, you can visit www.foreclosuredatabank.com or contact the WorkOne Center, 851 S. Marietta St. in South Bend on (317) 234-7093
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Written by Alex Rolim.
