Northern California DA's Office "Blown Away" After Meeting With Realtor Group On Mortgage Scams; Will Seek Approval For Real Estate Fraud Unit

In Shasta County, California, the Redding Record Searchlight reports:

• [L]ast month, state Attorney General Jerry Brown reported mortgage fraudsters are using the forged letterhead of major lenders to con vulnerable individuals into paying thousands of dollars for bogus loan modification services. [...] On Tuesday, the Shasta County District Attorney's Office will ask supervisors to approve what would be the county's first-ever real estate fraud unit.

• Shasta County District Attorney Jerry Benito realized the need for such a program after meeting with north state real estate agents. "We were blown away with the comments we heard," Benito said of his meeting with the Shasta Association of Realtors. "There was a large contingent of victims of frauds over the years, and they were extremely vocal about frauds occurring in Shasta County."

For more, see Mortgage scams on the rise.