Answer Desk: Dodging foreclosure scams

There are lots of good people out there who can help you get a better mortgage. And then there are the scammers. How do you tell the difference?

1

8

Regulators struggle to contain foreclosure fraud

The government is struggling to hold back a wave of foreclosure "rescue” scams arising from the growing number of homeowners facing the loss of their homes. It may be fighting a losing battle.

35

331

ConsumerMan: Beware of IRS 'phishing' scam

Cyber-thieves are clever crooks. They know an e-mail that looks like it’s from the IRS will get your attention. So they send out fake e-mail that says you are about to be audited or are due a big refund. Who could ignore a message like that?

6

33

Phishers are back with a vengeance, armed with some alarming new trickery.

0

0

Phuket Club Absolut Holiday Scam

So, one morning I rose up early to head to the beach for some fun in the not so hot early morning sun. On the way I was stopped by an English man who asked if I too spoke English. Thinking he might be lost and I might be able to help I replied that I did.

0

0

A Hebron woman has managed to beat scammers at their own game amid brutal threats against her grandson -- a Marine fighting in Afghanistan.

1

1

Bad news for financial scammers, predatory lenders, and peddlers of phony weight loss remedies: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has named the new head of its consumer protection bureau—and he's a consumer protection champion, a formidable litigator with a resume full of publ …

1

1

Top federal and state officials on Monday announced a broad crackdown on mortgage modification scams, accusing "criminal actors" of preying on desperate borrowers caught up in the nation's housing crisis.

2

1

Summer rentals are big business on Cape Cod, but some vacationers may have been taken for a ride if not for an astute property owner.

1

1

...all, a team of scammers stole thousands of dollars from random bank accounts. "It's just very simple for them to do this," said Brothers.

2

2

One of the best things about Facebook is that you know who you're dealing with. You've verified every friend connection and nearly everyone has a collection of personal photos proving they're who they say they are.

1

0

Scam artists who are bilking the elderly out of thousands of dollars by pretending to be their grandchildren in distress have targeted at least two people in Colorado Springs.

1

0

She said: "I have sent two emails to different addresses at Facebook because I've had no success in tracking down any phone number, let alone an emergency number - and still I have had no response." This is despicable; surely Facebook has a duty to help protect its members when …

1

0

Lisa Morris of Florida

On Tuesday, September 23, 2008, MSNBC.com's Herb Weisbaum wrote about the "Canadian granny scam."

4

7

AN ELABORATE fraud on eBay involving the sale of a rare Mercedes has cheated a collector out of £12,500.

2

1

One of the golden rules of scambaiting is 'make your scammer do all the work'. Tie the guy up. Make his life miserable by dragging out the dealings for as long as humanly possible. What better way to keep a scammer busy than to make them copy an entire book by hand?

12

5

Almost two thousand people who are too fat to work have been paid a total of £4.4 million in benefit, it emerged last night. Other payments went to fifty sufferers of acne and ten incapacitated by leprosy.

2

0

Identity theft is the crime that keeps on giving. Years after victims' identities have been compromised they can still be managing the effects of a ruined credit history, which can cost them bank mortgages or jobs.

1

0

In late September, Mark Hartman received an email from eBay's Trust and Safety department informing him that his bid on a high-end road bike had been canceled because the auction was suspected to be fraudulent.

1

0

Looking for work on the Internet has never been so easy or so dangerous. You know the threat of spam, but if you're not careful that threat can turn your job search into a nightmare. Here's what you need to know to avoid getting bitten.

1

0

As 2006 draws to a close, a review of ConsumerAffairs.com's Scam Alerts archive shows that scammers have had a busy and -- we suspect -- lucrative year.

7

2

Prevent Identity theft with this information and resources.

0

0

Every time the internet is policed, every time some thief is caught, every time some victim receives restitution, the whole internet becomes a better and safer place to do business, network or socialize.

3

0

The emails purport to be from a chartered accountancy firm claiming to have found a bank account containing £20.5 million belonging to one of the disaster's victims, Christian Eich.

0

0

The emails claim that Chase Manhattan's online division is conducting a survey of its users, and will credit $20 to the accounts of those who take part.

0

0