Foreclosure rescue fraud is sweeping the country and can end up costing you the home and equity you’re desperately trying to save from foreclosure.

In these tough economic times, mortgage foreclosure rescue scams are sweeping the nation. Foreclosure rescue fraud is both devious and cruel. Homeowners, finding it difficult to make ends meet and facing foreclosure, are promised help to save their homes. These scammers often turn around and steal the homes from those they promised aid to. Some collect large fees for services never provided and are never seen from again.

In any form, mortgage foreclosure rescue scams add insult to injury and are expected to grow in popularity with crooks as Americans default on their mortgages in larger and larger numbers.

A TV reporter took a bunch of working PC’s, had them checked over by an expert to make sure nothing was wrong with them, and then unplugged each computer’s IDE cable and dropped them off at various tech-support businesses. Now, if you’re not computer savvy, let me explain this. To anyone who has ever opened up a PC case, an unplugged IDE cable is as obvious to diagnose as trying to work out why a bucket with a gaping hole in the bottom won’t hold water. The second thing is how easy this is to fix. Ever plugged a TV into an electrical outlet? That’s about the technical expertise involved. It’s literally putting a square peg in the square hole. The point I’m trying to make here is that there is absolutely no way that anyone who has any experience at all with computers could possibly miss this problem. However, that didn’t stop “Geek Squad” from saying it was a power supply issue, and trying to sell the reporter a new PSU, along with a hefty price tag for a ‘labor’ involved. Again, I have no idea how they could have arrived at this diagnosis. If the power supply wasn’t working, the computer wouldn’t start up at all, instead of starting up but failing to boot. Another place said that the motherboard was “half bad”. Just to add further insult to injury, the IDE cable is what connects the Hard drive to the motherboard. When they turn the computer on “Primary Hard Disk Drive not found” appears on the screen. This tells you one of four things is wrong. A) The Hard Drive is faulty and needs to be replaced. B) The IDE cable is damaged and needs to be replaced. C) The IDE cable has come unplugged. D) The jumpers on the drive are set incorrectly. So how the hell “Geek Squad” diagnosed a power supply problem, and another said it as a motherboard problem is beyond me. Technically it could be a motherboard problem, but you would definitely check the IDE cables first. Just like when a car stops unexpectedly and won’t start up again, the first thing you check is that it’s not out of gas. Plus, when a headlight stops working, if you took it to a garage to get the bulb replaced, you wouldn’t expect them to tell you that your headlight isn’t working because your entire transmission needs replacing However, the thing that honestly shocked me was that only one place they took a computer to simply re-plugged the IDE cable and handed it back. I mean, the prices charged where simply outrageous. The “half-bad motherboard” guy tried to charge $275, and there wasn’t a single price quoted that was under a hundred dollars. A hundred dollars to plug in an IDE cable? Are you shitting me? I can honestly say that if I worked in any of these places, and someone gave me a computer with an unplugged IDE cable, not only would I notice the problem within seconds of opening the case, I’d plug it back in, and just give it back to the customer. If I had to quote a “fair price” for it, they’d owe me a single cent…and that’s only because there’s no such thing as a half cent piece. It honestly makes me sad that so-called “experts” can be this dumb, or that it appears to be standard practice to rip off unsuspecting customers and charge them an arm and a leg to “repair” such a simple problem. Now here’s the thing, and the best advice I can give to any new computer user. Find a friend who knows a little about computers, and get them to give you a tour of the inside of your computer case. Honestly, it may be intimidating at first, but I promise you that I can show anyone how a computer works in less than half an hour. For the most part, most modern PC’s are simply a case of matching color coded connectors, and placing the “square peg in the square hole”. Let me let you in on a big secret. Computers are easy. At least for the things an average user will need to do. Think of it this way, you don’t have to understand exactly how an engine works to operate an automobile. You just need to know the controls, where the gas goes and how to check your oil and a few other things. It’s the same with computers. Unfortunately, the PC Repair industry is based on maintaining the myth that it takes a genius to understand how to fix a computer. However, let me give you an example of how easy it can be. Say you want to fit some more memory in your computer. First, check the manual that came with your PC to see what type of memory your computer uses before you go to buy it. Then, go buy your memory. Then, pop off the side of your computer’s case, and look on the motherboard (that’s the big main circuit board inside your machine that everything else is connected to), and look for the memory slot. (Again, this can be found easily in your manual, but essentially you’re looking at a square foot of real estate for something that looked exactly like the memory stick you’re holding in your hand, it shouldn’t be too hard). Then, put the memory in the slot (It has cutouts on the memory stick, so it can only fit one way), and push down firmly until it clicks into place. Congrats! You’re done! Now, just to highlight my point, this is an operation that will take a couple of minutes, tops…and it’s yet another example of the “put the square peg in the square hole” level of difficulty. However, if you went to Best Buy and got “Geek Squad” to do it for you, you’d find yourself paying about $160 for the privilege of not spending 2 minutes pushing a memory stick into a
slot.

Sandy Hutchens is often asked how  to tell whether a work from home job posting is a scam or a legitimate job. There are signs to look for he said. In addition, there are sites that can help you determine what’s a real work at home job and what isn’t.The better business bureau is a good place to start www.bbb.org

Scams can also be an issue when looking for jobs that don’t involve working at home. Job sites try to police the listings, but, it’s hard to catch all the bad listings in a timely manner. Be careful when reviewing postings to make sure that you’re not taken advantage of by unscrupulous job posters.

Evaluating Job Listings

Check Out the Job Listings
If it isn’t listed in the job posting, find out if there’s a salary or if you’re paid on commission. For work at home jobs, ask how often are you paid and how you are paid. Ask what equipment (hardware / software) you need to provide.

You Won’t Get Rich Quick (Really)
Avoid listings that guarantee you wealth, financial success, or that will help you get rich fast. Stay clear of listings that offer you high income for part-time hours. They will do none of the above.

Hang on to Your Money
Do not send money! Legitimate employers don’t charge to hire you or to get you started. Don’t send money for work at home directories or start-up kits.

Check References
Ask for references if you’re not sure about the company’s legitimacy. Request a list of other employees or contractors to find out how this has worked for them. Then contact the references to ask how this is working out. If the company isn’t willing to provide references (names, email addresses and phone numbers) do not consider the opportunity.

Think Twice
If it sounds too good to be true, you can be sure it is! Also, read any “offers” you get very carefully. One candidate for employment got a very detailed job offer from an employer. The only problem was that she hadn’t applied for the job and buried deep within the lines was a request for her bank account information, so the employer could pay her. It was a scam, of course, but with some of the well-written ones it can be hard to tell.

Work at Home Jobs To Avoid

Assembly Jobs – No, you can’t make lots of money assembling craft kits or any other type of kits. You can waste money on a package to get you started though.

Data Entry Jobs – You’ll see lots of listings for data entry jobs. They are usually either positions posting ads or a sales pitch for a kit that will get you started.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) which involves recruiting new people, and more new people, to sell the product. If all you are doing is trying to find more people to do what you’re doing, keep in mind that there are probably thousands of other people attempting to do the same thing. Most of them aren’t getting rich. Also note, that MLM isn’t a job with a paycheck – it’s starting a business, with no guarantees.

Online Businesses – Do you want to start your own online business and get rich? Be very wary of these type of ads too. What you will do is end up paying for a guide to working at home which duplicates information you can find free.

Posting Ads – There are lots of ads saying workers are needed to post ads on online bulletin boards and forums. You don’t get paid to post, rather you may get paid if other people sign-up.

Processing Claims – In order to get “hired” you’ll need to buy equipment, software and pay for training.

Stuffing Envelopes – Believe it, or not, there are still people saying that you can earn $3 or $4 per envelope to stuff them. You can’t. All major companies have postage machines which stuff, sort and meter mail.

The winner in the scam contest are the sites that offer to sell provide you with information on only legitimate work at home jobs – for a nominal fee, of course. Don’t do it!