Homeowner In Foreclosure Falls For Upfront Fee Loan Modification Scam That Used Deceptive Mailers Simulating Official Documents From HUD; Faces Boot

In Moline, Illinois, KWQC-TV Channel 6 reports:

• [D]iana Dreifurst of Moline is facing foreclosure on her home of ten years. Several months ago she received a letter in the mail. "From what I thought was HUD in February," said Dreifurst, "I called the number on there and they took my application over the phone."
  
  
• She thought she was applying for a loan modification through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, that would give her financial situation relief. The document looked official to her and so did the papers that came in the mail after that. "We got papers saying we were approved."
  
  
• Dreifurst sent checks totaling almost $2,000 to the agency for fees, and the next monthly payment. The checks were cashed at an account in California. But then Dreifurst was shocked to receive a court summons to put a sale date on the house. She tried calling the 888 number from the agency she sent the money to and only heard a busy tone.
  
  
• "He said you guys got scammed, don't send them any more money." Those are the words of an attorney Dreifurst said she consulted. She learned she's not only out $2,000, but could still be out of her home. "You don't know who to trust, you don't know where to turn," said Dreifurst.

For the story, see Scam Targets Homeowners Facing Foreclosure.