The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office recently charged a man with a felony fraud charge for running a debt elimination scheme in Campbell.   According to Central Coast News, (Update: Convicted Debt Scammer Charged After Another Scheme Revealed Apr 03, 2013) the man, Robert Childs, has already been convicted twice of mortgage and debt fraud schemes.

This story is an important reminder for all homeowners in San Jose, Sunnyvale, and throughout California who are facing foreclosure.  As part of the foreclosure process, your bank or servicer will file a Notice of Default with the County Recorders Office.  To see examples of what loan scams look like, you can visit the website Loan Modification Scam Alert, which is run by Neighborworks and seeks to warn homeowners about loan scams.

The Notice of Default is public record, and there are companies (like Foreclosure Radar) that also allow people to access this information.  Homeowners who call ForeclosureHelp tell us that they are inundated with mail, phone calls, and even home visits when they become late on their mortgage.  The notices are often very official looking, and may list the amount of money you owe on your mortgage, who your bank is, when you defaulted on the mortgage, etc.  ForeclosureHelp also sends out mail to homeowners who are having trouble paying their mortgage because we want to arm them with information about their options as early as possible.

While not all of these folks who contact homeowners are necessarily running a scam, people should be very, very cautious about any person or company that contacts them, especially if they are promising results that they can’t control- like guaranteeing a loan modification, or promising to eliminate your debt.  In addition, charging an upfront fee is illegal in California, so this is another red flag.

Homeowners should also know that they may have options other than a short sale, like seeking a loan modification, or using the state program, Keep Your Home California.   So far, over 600 homeowners in Santa Clara County have benefited from the Keep Your Home California program, (Spanish Website: Conserva Tu Casa), receiving a total of over $10 million in assistance, and the majority of them have used the Unemployment Mortgage Assistance Program, that will pay your mortgage for up to nine months if you are receiving unemployment.

A certified foreclosure prevention counselor at ForeclosureHelp can assist you in navigating your options, help you understand your eligibility for these programs, and can also work with you to submit a loan modification to your bank or servicer.

If you are a homeowner living in San Jose or Sunnyvale and are struggling with your mortgage, please contact ForeclosureHelpSCC, a program funded by the City of San Jose through a HUD Community Development Block Grant and the City of Sunnyvale at (408)-293-6000 or visit us: www.foreclosurehelpscc.org

Our housing counselors can help you evaluate your options, learn more about federal and state programs that may help you with your mortgage issues, and will help you create a plan forward.

Please note: All content included in the ForeclosureHelpSCC blog is provided for information only and should NOT be considered legal or tax advice. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us on our hotline: (408)-293-6000, or visit our website: www.foreclosurehelpscc.org or send us an email: help@foreclosurehelpscc.org.

Si usted es dueño de una casa en San José o en Sunnyvale y están luchando con su hipoteca, por favor póngase en contacto con ForeclosureHelpSCC, un programa financiado por la ciudad de San José y la ciudad de Sunnyvale, al (408) -293- 6000, o visite nuestro sitio: www.foreclosurehelpscc.org.Nuestros consejeros puede ayudarle a evaluar sus opciones, aprender más acerca de los programas federales y estatales que pueden ayudarle con sus problemas de hipoteca, y le ayudará a crear un plan para seguir.

Por favor, tenga en cuenta: Todos los contenidos incluidos en el blog ForeclosureHelpSCC se proporciona únicamente a título informativo y no debe ser considerada como consejo legal o fiscal. Si usted tiene alguna pregunta, por favor no dude en contactarnos a nuestra línea directa: (408) -293-6000, o visite nuestro sitio:www.foreclosurehelpscc.org o envíenos un correo electrónico: help@foreclosurehelpscc.org.

Nếu bạn là một sinh hoạt chủ sở hữu nhà ở San Jose hoặc Sunnyvale và đang đấu tranh với nợ nhà, xin vui lòng liên ForeclosureHelpSCC, một chương trình được tài trợ bởi thành phố San Jose và thành phố của Sunnyvale ở (408) -293-6000 hoặc truy cập trang web của chúng tôi: www.foreclosurehelpscc.org.

Nhân viên tư vấn của chúng tôi đã được HUD chấp thuận có thể giúp bạn đánh giá các lựa chọn của bạn, tìm hiểu thêm về các chương trình của liên bang và tiểu bang có thể giúp bạn với các vấn đề thế chấp của bạn, và sẽ giúp bạn tạo ra một kế hoạch phía trước.Xin lưu ý: Tất cả các nội dung trên Blog ForeclosureHelpSCC được cung cấp thông tin duy nhất và không nên coi là hợp pháp hoặc tư vấn thuế. Nếu bạn có bất cứ câu hỏi , xin vui lòng liên hệ với chúng tôi qua đường dây nóng: (408) -293-6000, hoặc truy cập vào trang của chúng tôi: http://www.foreclosurehelpscc.org hoặc gửi email cho chúng tôi:help@foreclosurehelpscc.org.