'Mortgage Rescue' Scams Hit Close to Home
"And when these fraudsters come in and they take advantage of those people who are in crisis mode, it's very disturbing," she said.
"It's unfortunate at that time when you are in crisis mode, most of us panic and that's the worst time to actually try to make a decision," she added.
And Felton doesn't believe the problem of mortgage scams is going to slow down any time soon. "Across the country, as these market conditions continue, I'm afraid we'll see more," she said.
To cope with rescue scams and other forms of mortgage fraud, the FBI has set up 35 mortgage fraud task forces across the country. A number of states, including California, Florida, Washington and Texas, have targeted firms exploiting homeowners drowning in the volatile housing market.
"Our office has more than a thousand complaints and we have prosecuted numerous companies dealing with thousands of people just here in the state of Texas and I know that this has been replicated across the country," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott told ABC News.
"As they are facing one of the most challenging issues in their entire lives, they are thrown a life preserver, in the form of foreclosure rescue," Abbott said. "And it turns out to be nothing more than an anchor that pulls them under the tide and leads them to ruin.
"These scam artists that prey upon people who are going through the foreclosure process are the worst of the worst," he added. "They are not only robbing people of their money but they are robbing people of their dreams, which is why we are so aggressively prosecuting these scam artists across the state and country."
Fowler knows full well of the pain of losing her dream, and says she hopes other homeowners don't fall for the same kind of scheme she did.
"Don't believe it," she said. "No one's gonna come rescue you. Do not depend on somebody else to come in and rescue you, because they're not gonna rescue you; they're gonna take what you have. They will take advantage."
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