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Seven Mortgage Fraudsters In NJ Face Legal Trouble

Seven fraudulent mortgage modification services are facing cease and desist orders from the state of New Jersey, according to reports from NJ.com. The legal action comes from the state’s Department of Consumer Affairs and includes steep civil penalties against the firms.

Unfortunately, mortgage scams are nothing new and in fact have been fairly common since the housing market collapsed and adjustable-rate mortgages began to reset en masse. Here’s a look at how these particular companies allegedly scammed New Jersey residents:

  • Promise for negotiation: Scammers apparently piqued victims’ interest by offering to negotiate with their mortgage lenders on their behalf. This offer is understandably attractive to those homeowners struggling to make mortgage payments, who might be in danger of foreclosure or considering a bankruptcy filing to help ease their debt burden.
  • Collection of fees: Naturally, the scammers insisted on collecting payment for their work up front, before actually delivering on their promises. In many cases, consumer protection laws prohibit companies from collecting fees before performing any services.
  • Failure to follow through: Unsurprisingly, the scammers did not actually help victims adjust their debt. In fact, the seven companies weren’t even registered as debt-adjustment services, as the state requires, according to reports.

While New Jersey’s attorney general has now taken action to repair some of the damage these fraudsters caused, it’s likely that at least some victims endured serious financial hardship because of the scam.

On the (mildly) positive side, the scam provides an excellent opportunity to review some of the differences between debt adjustment services and personal bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy alternatives:

  • Are not regulated as strictly as bankruptcy: At both the federal and state level, there are laws designed to protect consumers from scammers like the ones that struck in New Jersey. But, as this mortgage scam shows us, it’s fairly common for fraudsters to break those laws. Bankruptcy, on the other hand, follows the same set of laws no matter where in the country a filer lives. Those laws are published online where filers can easily access them.
  • May affect credit differently than bankruptcy: One reason many people seek non-bankruptcy alternatives to eliminating or reducing debt is because of the negative perceived impact that bankruptcy can have on a credit score. But assuming your credit won’t be hurt by debt settlement or debt negotiation is a gamble: if you work with a less-than-trustworthy company, you may end up losing money and hurting your credit.
  • Do not offer the legal protections that bankruptcy does: One major benefit of bankruptcy is that filers know that they can expect certain protections (e.g. from creditor contact and collections) after they file their case. No such legal protections exist for bankruptcy alternatives.

Bankruptcy is not right for everyone, but it’s an important and powerful debt-relief option to consider for those in financial distress.

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