Back in the late 90's, it was easier to take advantage of homeowners who were in trouble on their mortgages. The more equity they had, the more they became prey to the crooks and bad guys.
If someone was 90 days past due on their loan, it became a matter of public record. They then had 75 days to bring their loan current before it went to Public Trustee Sale. (I believe those were the correct time frames. The laws changed many years ago to prevent what was happening in the marketplace.)
Sam was an at-risk adult who was also an alcoholic. He lived free and clear in the house his grandmother had left him - until his son stole his identity and all his life savings. Having known the family for decades, the family banker gave Sam a small ($15,000) equity line of credit against the property which had a market value at the time of about $225,000.
Being a simple man, Sam forgot he was supposed to make monthly payments, and never opened any of the notices sent by the bank. When his plight became a matter of public record, the vultures swooped in to try to relieve him of his home.
He didn't answer his phone, he didn't open the dozens of pieces of mail that came in the first few days. Enter Mr. Diabolical who sat on Sam's front porch until he came home from work.
"Hey, Sam. I understand you're having some troubles. I'd like to help you out. I'll come back tomorrow with $100,000 in cash to buy your house. And I see you're walking everywhere. I'll even throw in a car."
Thinking his troubles were finally over, Sam opened the door to Mr. D the following morning. Mr. D, of course, wanted to see the place first. "Oh, Sam, you didn't tell me this place was in such bad shape. The roof is bad, the plumbing is leaking, the walls are cracked, the carpet is torn up, and the electrical will have to be replaced. To say nothing of the thousands of empty beer bottles we'll have to get rid of. It's going to take tens of thousands of dollars to fix it. Being the generous soul I am, I'll still give you $1,000 and the bike outside, and I'll pay off your mortgage to the bank."
Sam hesitated, and Mr. D opened the front door. There stood Ms. Notary Public with a Quit Claim Deed all filled out. All he had to do was sign it to get his money. BUT, they told him, if he didn't sign it right now, the people from the bank were going to be there at noon to kick him out and take his house. Sam, scared and not knowing what to do, signed the document and had it notarized.
My client called to tell me about a fantastic deal she was getting on a property from a private investor. Feeling like something dishonest was going on, I investigated further. I found out that Sam had lost his house. I called everyone in the local phone book with Sam's last name until I found a brother who had no idea Sam was going through this.
With my client's permission, I went after Mr. D and his cohorts. I pulled in a favor from two friends who were lawyers who agreed to represent Sam pro bono. One had Sam declared incompetent and his brother appointed his guardian.
The other, in an amazing victory for the good guys, had the Quit Claim Deed overturned. The penalty for Mr. D? He was paid back all the monies he had given Sam and the cost of the mortgage he'd brought current, and was told never to do it again. He was not prosecuted because Sam had signed the Quit Claim Deed. (unbelievable)
Thus began my brief career in removing the bad guys from the streets. Lesson learned: If there's money available, someone can figure out a way to steal it.
If you don't already, be sure to follow me (click on the green house below) to find out what happened in the next few encounters, and why I got out of the 'crook hunting' business.
Thank you! But I can't imagine not having done something. 
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