Financial Utopia – Help with credit cards, debt savings and loans.

Imagine landing your dream home. Your credit is a bit shaky, but you manage to get a subprime loan with an adjustable rate mortgage. A few years later the interest rates jump and you can no longer afford to pay. You see an ad for a business thats willing to helpitll pay your mortgage for a modest monthly fee while you get back on your feet. But heres the heartbreak: its a scam. The con artists just take your money and run

Its just one of the latest schemes and frauds being seen these days across the financial services industry.

These scamswhich include plenty of shenanigans with mortgages and subprime loansare costing the nation tens of billions of dollars a year.

Millions of homeowners are caught up in this subprime mess. The Federal Reserve has gotten involved in an attempt to bail out the mortgage loan companies. Criminal charges may be filed against these companies for falsifying records, loaning money to under-qualified home buyers, and not reporting the truth to investors.

These are all good reasons why the US government is squarely focused on cracking down on the largest of these financial crimes, launching proactive initiatives and shifting resources as trends emerge, all the while working hand-in-hand with a host of government and private sector partners.

Currently, investigators are actively pursuing mortgage companies and investment irregularities.

The government is investigating 14 corporations involved in subprime lending as part of our Subprime Mortgage Industry Fraud Initiative launched last year.

The companies come from across the financial services industry, from mortgage lenders to investment banks that bundle loans into securities sold to investors. Theyre also looking at insider trading by some executives.

Traditional mortgage fraud:

In one state alone, more than 1,200 cases open today (up about 40 percent from last year), mostly involving fraud for profit, where groups of straw buyers, realtors, etc. rig schemes to buy properties that are flipped or allowed to go into foreclosure.
Hotspots include California, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Utah.

Suspicious activity reports that we review for potential mortgage fraud have grown from 3,000 in fiscal year 2003 to 48,000 in fiscal year 2007. This year, theyre on pace to receive more than 60,000 such reports.

A recent case: In November, the owners of a long-time Minnesota homebuilder called Parish Marketingalong with a bank officer, a closing agent, and otherspled guilty to a $100 million mortgage scheme involving some 200 homes.

If you are a victim of the subprime mortgage madness, contact your bank and see if there are any programs in place to alleviate the pain.

Many people who badly need money make the mistake of doing business with companies that steal money from them rather than lend it. These scams are usually directed at people who already have bad credit. More people are in financial trouble than ever before, and many criminals are taking advantage of this situation. Those who are filing for credit counseling or bankruptcy are at a high risk for these types of scams. Here I will show you common scams and what you can do to avoid them.

Money Up Front Scams

If you are in a situation where you need to file bankruptcy or seek credit counseling, your life is likely already hard enough as it is. The last thing you want is some con artist taking more of your money. Unfortunately, a huge market exists for these types of scams. The most common trick used by debt consolidation services is to make an offer to loan a client money despite their credit history. They will ask that the client pays three months in advance before they are able to loan them money. The company then takes the payments and refuses to loan the client money, stealing from them.

Many of the customers never hear from the company again. Many of these companies make themselves appear legitimate by purchasing advertising space in the local phone book, a place that most people trust to find their information. As more people suffer from debt, these scams will continue to increase.

You should avoid any lender which asks you to pay money up front for the loan. This is generally the first sign that a service is likely a scam. There is no reason you should have to pay a fee up front. Any lenders which ask you to pay before you receive the money are likely con artists. You should only have to pay money back after you’ve been given money, not before. Many of these services will also try to get you to send out a wire transfer.

Wire transfer services like Western Union are not secure, and there is no recourse available if something goes wrong. The transactions can’t be traced, and you should avoid any services which ask you to wire money to them. If you feel the need to borrow money, you should use a service which is recommended by a friend or member of your family. This is much better than calling a random service which you’ve never heard of.

A Word On The Side Of Caution

It is important to be cautious when looking for loans, especially those which are unsecured. The first thing you should realize is that there is no such thing as a loan which is guaranteed. You should be wary of lenders who promise that you will be approved without bothering to check your credit history.

It is an unfortunate fact of life that many people make a career out of stealing money from others. Much of this fraud is perpetrated by groups which are highly organized. Getting scammed in a situation where you are already on the verge of bankruptcy can be enough to push anyone over the edge. People tend to make the most mistakes when they are desperate. It is important to analyze the situation and study the lender carefully. Anytime you are asked to pay money up front this typically means that it is a fraud, and will not end well if you fall for it.

The most important thing you can do before choosing a lender is to do research. Find out how long a company has been in existence. If they don’t have an established history, this likely means they are a fly by night operation, and you will want to avoid it.