Foreclosure Scams Growing, Continue Hitting Northern California

In Napa County, California, the St. Helena Star reports:

• Rising foreclosure rates in Napa County are supplying scam artists with a steady stream of victims. Willing to do anything to keep their homes and get out of mortgages they cannot afford, these homeowners’ desperation is fodder for deceit.

• “It’s certainly a growing problem, not just here in Napa but throughout the state and country,” Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein said. “It is a reflection of the mortgage scams that we’ve seen coming around nationwide, as well as the financial status of our economy right now.”

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• [Associate director for Fair Housing Napa Valley Steve] Cogswell said it is impossible to know how many people in Napa County have been targets of foreclosure scams. Fair Housing Napa Valley has had 55 cases in the last 12 months, but “that’s just the people that happen to end up coming in to us,” he said. Many times, the scams go unreported, either because victims don’t realize they’ve been victimized or because they don’t know where to go.

For more, see Foreclosure schemes growing.