FTC halts scam aimed at Spanish-speaking homeowners
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S. district
court has halted a nationwide scam operating from the Dominican Republic – but
pretending to be in Chicago – that allegedly peddled fake mortgage assistance
relief to financially distressed Spanish-speaking homeowners in the United
States.
The defendants promised to dramatically lower homeowners’ monthly
mortgage payments in exchange for a large upfront fee, and collected more than
$2 million in fees during the last three years, but failed to provide homeowners
with the promised services, according to the FTC complaint.