The Florida Attorney General has released a Consumer Alert warning people about the dangers of mortgage fraud. Most of what is released is actually a warning about predatory lending but some is fraud related.

I have copied the main topics of the Alert below and you can read the whole thing by clicking here.

The Alert states that there are several variations of home equity scams of which Floridians should be aware. Equity stripping occurs when a lender encourages a consumer to manipulate their loan application in order to qualify for a greater loan amount. Loan flipping involves lenders who repeatedly encourage consumers to refinance their loans, which may require them to borrow more money and as a result accumulate higher fees.

Other scams include baiting and switching, where the lender offers one set of terms prior to the loan application and then pressures consumers to agree to a different set of terms after the application is signed.

Deceptive loan servicing, another common complaint, happens when lenders do not provide their clients with accurate or complete account statements and payoff figures.

The AG advises consumers to take the following precautions:

Ask specifically if credit insurance is required as a condition of the loan

Keep careful records of any amount paid

Check contractors’ references for any construction and get more than one estimate

Read all items on the contract or application carefully

Never sign an application or contract with blank spaces

Lenders should never pressure applicants

Detectives in Polk County (FL) say a black couple pretends to be interested in homes for sale. When they show up to see the home one person distracts the owner, while the other steals their credit cards.

Investigators say the couple targets owners selling their own homes. Both are African American between 35 and 40 years old. The man is bald about 5’10” and weighs about 275 pounds. The woman is about 5’6” and about 150 pounds.

The couple is suspected in at least six different cases. Investigation has shown that the stolen credit cards are being used throughout the central Florida area.

The suspects have increased their criminal activities over the past month in Polk County, and detectives need the public’s help in locating them. If you have any information about these suspects or feel you have been a victim, please contact Detective Glenda Eichholtz at 863-297-1153.

The Seminole County (FL) Sheriff’s Office  is searching for two women who are apparently pretending to be interested in buying new homes to steal from real estate agents, according to a Local 6 News TV report. Investigators allege that Denise Fuller and Winshenia Lamarr and possibly a third person are meeting with real estate employees in Central Florida and then taking credit cards from their wallets.

Their alleged MO is for the suspects to pretend they are interested in buying property and while keeping people in realtor’s offices distracted a third person would enter the office and steal a credit card from each employee’s purse.

Picture courtesy of Local News 6

The Local 6 News report showed video of the women at a Target store in Seminole County purchasing items with stolen credit cards.

Click here to see the Local 6 News video report.

Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Fuller or Lamarr is urged to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.

Over the last few days the editor has received scores of spam emails, each one from a different “person”. The emails contained at least 19 different URL’s which point to the same website offering mortgages at “the lowest rates”.

The text of one of the emails is reproduced below, all the emails contained the same or similar text:

Approval process will take only 1 minute. Please visit the confirmation link below and fill-out our short 30 second form.

Here are the website addresses that you are directed too.

www.gonein.com
www.startgone.com
www.plusgone.com
www.gonetop.com
www.okmakes.com
www.gonetips.com
www.ui367.com
www.ahrw014.com
www.ahrw015.com
www.supportgone.com
www.smartgone.com
www.trustsgone.com
www.trustsin.com
www.trustsplus.com
www.trustspower.com
www.savegone.com
www.formsover.com
www.formsdeals.com  
www.formshot.com
www.formsfresh.com
www.formsok.com

I know nothing about these sites but would advise consumers to be very careful when dealing with them. All of the email headers have been sent to the relevant Internet Service Providers and complaints lodged with both the FBI and the US Treasury Dept.