Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Calif Rent Scam Suspect Bagged In Nevada; Used Craigslist To Rip Off Off Tenants By Renting Out Parents' Now-Foreclosed Home: Cops; Awaits Extradition
In Porterville, California, KMPH-TV Channel 26 reports:
It's a scam happening across the nation and right here in the Valley. Crooks rent out foreclosed homes and get away with thousands of dollars. The latest report popped up in Porterville.
Currently, Porterville police are looking for 39-year-old Scott Crowder. Police say Crowder has scammed several families out of thousands of dollars. Detectives say he's trying to rent a home that once belonged to his parents, but is currently in foreclosure. Detectives say he takes people's security deposit, gives them fake keys, and then splits.
Keri Dunning paid him one–thousand dollars. She says, "He walked us through the place, and made it sound pretty legit. He said we could do whatever we wanted with the place, we could fix it up and paint it. He then took our money and left." Crowder is not returning their phone calls, and they aren't the only the ones.
Stephanie Leyva says, "I gave him $2,850; that was first month's rent, last month's rent, and a security deposit of $950."
The families saw the house advertised on Craigslist. The ad states the house in a good neighborhood, close to schools and shopping. Stephanie says while trying to find Crowder, she stopped another woman from giving a security deposit for the same house.
Investigators with the Porterville Police Department are asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to give them a call.
For a story update, see Rental Scam In Porterville; Man Arrested(Porterville Police say a man suspected of scamming several families out of thousands of dollars is behind bars. 39-year-old Scott Crowder was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada. Crowder remains in custody in Nevada pending extradition to California).
CBC News: Betrayal of Trust (A CBC investigation reveals how lawyers across Canada have misappropriated and mishandled clients money, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or sometimes even charging vulnerable people top dollar for shoddy services)
Land Contract/Contract For Deed/Rent-To-Own Rackets
The New York Times: The Housing Trap (In the wake of the housing crisis, low-income families have turned to seller financing to buy homes but these deals can be a money trap)
Beware The Fine Print: Consumers Forced To Sign Away Their Rights To Use Court System
The NY Times: Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice(Part 1 in series examining how clauses buried in tens of millions of contracts have deprived Americans of one of their most fundamental constitutional rights: their day in court)
Foreclosure Mills' Abysmal Record In Complying With New NYS Foreclosure Requirements
Justice Deceived: How Large Foreclosure Firms Subvert State Regulations Protecting Homeowners
MFY Legal Services Report On Questionable Practices By Process Servers In Debt Collection Cases
Justice Disserved: A Preliminary Analysis of the Exceptionally
Low Appearance Rate by Defendants in Lawsuits Filed in the Civil Court of the City of New York
Mortgage Mess Redux: Robo-Signers Return (A Reuters investigation finds that many banks are still employing the controversial foreclosure practices that sparked a major outcry last year)
CNN Video: As Foreclosures Mount, Florida Court Turns To 'Rocket Docket'
The Wall Street Journal: A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases (2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge)
"Produce The Note" Strategy When Dealing With Missing Promissory Notes In Foreclosure Actions
ABC Video: Fighting Against Foreclosure (Some homeowners have found a new tactic to keep the banks at bay)
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