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Ads offering modification loans that will help homeowners with mortgage problems are seen everywhere, but the cost of falling victim to a loan scam is not as well-publicized.

In response, the non-profit NeighborWorks America has partnered with the Center for New York City Neighborhoods to launch a national Loan Modification Scam Alert campaign.

"We are increasingly alarmed by the thousands upon thousands of homeowners who have become victimized by loan scams," says Susan Jouard of NeighborWorks America. "We're talking about scams where you pay an upfront fee and then the company just disappears, so then the homeowner thinks a solution is being worked out, thinks that they're going to be getting help. Next thing they know, they have a foreclosure notice."

For people who struggle to pay their mortgage and fear foreclosure, the campaign offers warnings signs to spot a scammer.

Beware of anyone who:
• Asks you to pay an upfront fee, as that is illegal.
• Guarantees a loan modification, as no one can guarantee a loan.
• Asks you to stop paying your mortgage and give the money to them instead.
• Pressures you to sign paperwork you don't understand, that is often incomplete with blanks.
• Offers a government-approved loan.

"Homeowners do not have to pay for qualified assistance. There is a very full network of highly-trained, highly-qualified foreclosure specialists located in not-for-profit agencies throughout the city," says Jouard.

One such agency is the Center for New York City Neighborhoods.

"By contacting the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, you will be connected to reliable free services that are close to where you live, within your community," says Petra Tuomi, one of the center's employees. "There are counselors that are able to give you these counseling sessions, one-on-one, and help you with your mortgage issues and anything related to housing."

Call 311 to find free foreclosure help, and to report loan modification scams, visit www.LoanScamAlert.org.