WORLD PROPERTY CHANNEL ®

I don't know about you, but I have had it with the slap-in-the-wrist penalties courts around the country are handing out to convicted mortgage foreclosure consultants.

Jail terms are what these predators deserve and they're not getting them. Low-ball fines and doing X-hours of  "community service" is what you read about as their penalties.

These so-called home foreclosure "advisors" are proliferating around the country, in every state and in every community.  Some even prey on followers of their own religious faith and background.

They demand upfront fees of $500 to $5,000. After collecting the money, of course, they close shop and are never heard of again.  Except in a few locales where law enforcement is beginning to take an interest in this latest white-collar crime offshoot.

In Washington, DC, for example, "consultant" Joy Jackson, one of the more notorious scammers, faces a 30-year prison term after pleading guilty to fleecing poor and often unemployed homeowners out of a total $35 million, according to DC prosecutors.  What do you bet she will get probation instead.

In Toledo, OH, courts have finally shut down Foreclosure Solutions. 

In Florida, prosecutors have their hands full, weeding out the bad guys from the legitimate consulting fraternity.

So far, the bad guys are winning.

Take, for example, the Maitland, FL firm of Wineberg, Lopez & Rodriguez Co.  700 complaints.  And they're still coming.  Meanwhile, co-owners William Rodriguez and Freddy Lopez Sr. are gone with the wind.

Even a company certified by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been sued by the Florida Attorney General's office. That company is The Helping Hands Foundation Inc.  

What a name.  What a shame.  What a fraud.

I say one way to put public pressure on these predators is to publish their company names and company officers every time a complaint is lodged against them. 

Oh, sure, the civil liberties gang will howl that such a move is unconstitutional on blah-blah grounds and other blah-blah grounds. I say, bullsmith.

Names like those below should be brought to the public's attention as often as possible. The Florida Attorney General's office is investigating all of them:

National Payment Modification Co.
FMA Servicing Inc.
Three Angels Community Action Network Inc. headed by Sherrard A. Haugabrooks
21st Century Legal Services Inc.
Foreclosure Services of America
Quality Florida Law Group Corp.
United Law Group Inc.
Victor Lopez & Associates
Legal Modification Attorney at Law
JPB Consulting Inc., also known as Mortgage Modifications Solutions
Mortgage Critics
Reliable Resources
Home Mitigation Direct LLC

Believe this or not, the Florida Attorney General's office has settled only ONE Orlando-related case of mortgage foreclosure consulting fraud to date.

That case involves Homestead Protection Services LLC of Maitland, FL. The company has agreed to pay defrauded customers a total of at least $20,000.

Such a big deal.  $20,000 for causing stress and heartache among decent, hard-working residents who only sought help and guidance in trying to save their homes.

For homeowners threatened with foreclosure action, help from several legitimate sources are available.  The fastest link is the Homeownership Preservation Foundation hot line at 1-888-995- 4673.

That group will steer you to a federally approved foreclosure prevention counselor. There is no charge.

And that's the way I see it - for now.

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