Foreclosure Scams: When They Help and When They Hurt

Quick Answer: Foreclosure scams hurt homeowners through schemes like Joy Jackson’s Metropolitan Money Store, which stole millions from Washington area residents while promising to prevent foreclosures. Jackson received over 12 years in prison for taking property titles and draining equity to fund her lavish lifestyle.LOL, OMG, you can’t make this stuff up.A Maryland woman who …

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CashCall Complaints: What California AG Found

Quick Answer: California’s Attorney General found CashCall used illegal “loan shark tactics” including abusive calls at all hours and deceptive advertising while charging 139.34% annual interest rates. The court ordered CashCall to pay $1 million in penalties and cease harassment of customers who couldn’t make payments.Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today forced CashCall, Inc., …

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Credit Card Rate Reduction Scams: What to Know

Quick Answer: A U.S. court banned a Canadian telemarketing operation that defrauded 12,000 consumers out of $7.8 million by falsely promising credit card rate reductions. The scammers charged $695 while falsely claiming credit card company affiliations and guaranteeing interest rates between 4.75-9%.At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S. district court judge has …

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Rental Scam Alert: Red Flags to Know

Quick Answer: Rental scams often feature below-market rates for furnished apartments with owners claiming relocation, requesting personal information before allowing viewings, and refusing in-person meetings. Red flags include poor grammar in follow-up emails, requests for qualification forms without property tours, and claims that keys are located out of state.I had a friend start to get …

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Financial Crime Arrests: When They Help Cases

Quick Answer: Financial crime arrests rarely help cases and instead create serious legal consequences that worsen financial situations. The post warns against using fraud as a solution during economic hardship, emphasizing that seeking professional financial advice prevents the devastating outcomes these desperate measures typically produce.In a bad economy, people do desperate and often very silly …

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Debt Fraud: Postal Worker Jailed for Scheme

Quick Answer: A Birmingham UK postal worker was jailed for stealing hundreds of mail items in a debt fraud scheme, highlighting how postal workers can access credit applications and blank checks in mailboxes. This case demonstrates that identity theft protection requires vigilance about who handles personal financial information, including seemingly trusted service providers.It never surprises …

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Government Loan Scam: What It Means for You

Quick Answer: The Federal Reserve warns of a new scam targeting desperate borrowers with fake government loan programs that require large upfront “security deposits.” The Fed has no consumer lending programs and urges people to verify lender legitimacy before depositing money or entering transactions.According to the Federal Reserve, con-artists have unleashed a new scam aimed …

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Fraud Scams: What They Mean When You’re Desperate

At a recent home show, we were grabbed by a debt settlement company salesperson who offered to save us at least 40 percent in our effort to get out of debt — not that we have any. Another salesperson hawked a software program that would direct us …