Free Foreclosure Counseling

Free counseling, regardless of what stage of the foreclosure process you find yourself in, is available through the State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project, administered by the NC Housing Finance Agency. Housing counselors can work also work with servicers on your behalf and refer you to free legal services if your income is low. Services are provided by participating HUD-approved housing counseling agencies statewide. To get help, call 1-888-442-8188.

Fraud Prevention

If you’ve been contacted by a foreclosure prevention or “rescue” agency, protect yourself from fraudulent practices by keeping these tips in mind:

• Beware of companies or organizations that require payment upfront—this is illegal in North Carolina.
• Avoid companies that want you to make mortgage payments directly to them, or who tell you not to speak with your current mortgage company or to an attorney.
• Don’t trust investors who offer to pay off your mortgage if you sign over the deed to your home. Typically in these scams, the investor then rents your home back to you or another tenant but doesn’t make the mortgage payments, resulting in foreclosure.
• Only trust companies and organizations that have been verified by your local Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.
• Get all promises and agreements in writing, and do not sign anything until an attorney has reviewed it.

To report a scam or check out a company, call the NC Attorney General’s Office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or file a complaint at ncdoj.gov.