NY Attorney General Aims To Stop Mortgage Scams With Ad Campaign
GARDEN CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- New York's attorney general is launching a statewide advertising campaign to help homeowners avoid foreclosure rescue scams.
The problem of mortgage scammers is enormous and growing, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman told reporters Monday, including WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs.
"They prey on people's desperation," he said. "They take victims, and they re-victimize them."
NY Attorney General Aims To Stop Mortgage Fraud With Ad Campaign
The advertisements will target homeowners in areas hit the hardest by scammers and appear on buses, in newspapers and on social media.
Schneiderman's office also has launched a new website, AGScamHelp.com, to help guide homeowners in need to legitimate mortgage assistance.
"The goal is to change the system so there's no more bad guys to catch," Schneiderman said.
The attorney general said mortgage scammers have conned homeowners out of $100 million nationally.
Gale Fortunato admits she got desperate when she fell behind on her mortgage and began receiving foreclosure notices.
She sought help from what she thought was a legitimate law firm.
It was not.
"They took advantage of us," she said. "We were deceived, and they took thousands of dollars."
