You may have read my recent post Foreclosure Recovery Scams in Your Area . In that post I mentioned talking with Graciela Carvajal of ACORN Housing in San Bernardino, CA. She told me that there is such a large population of minorities in this area who don’t understand not only the loan process but the foreclosure process it makes them ideal victims. During our conversation she also mentioned that since she’s Hispanic she monitors the Spanish media and is amazed and concerned by the number of advertisements for obvious scams. 

Why am I addressing this point again? Well, yesterday I received a call from a gentleman in Calexico who is only a couple weeks away from receiving his Notice of Trustee Sale. He told me of how many offers of help he has gotten from companies offering to save his home if he gives him $800-$1200 (the amount varies) in advance. He kept returning to this point & evidently couldn’t understand why I wasn’t able to do the same. He even gave me the same examples of people that these rescuers had helped.

This gentleman was obviously very intelligent but had reached the point of desperation. I hope he heeds the advice I offered and does not take advantage of one of these offers. He told me he had also talked to an attorney who had explained the foreclosure process to him and advised him to talk to his lender which he has been doing but at this time the man & his lender haven’t been able to come to a solution for his dilemma. 

I hope I was able to convince him that he should not take advantage of one of the advance payment offers and since his sale date was approaching so rapidly his only alternative was in all probability talking with his attorney again who had told him his only way out may be declaring bankruptcy in order to stop the foreclosure and then make a workout plan with the lender through the court.