Tucson, Arizona Consumer Rights Blog

If you received a call from a family member desperate for help, you would at least consider helping them, wouldn't you? Well, that is exactly with scam artists are relying on when they call trusting Arizona seniors in attempt to pilfer money by claiming to a relative in an emergency.

Many Arizona seniors are already forced to live on a tight budget, losing even a small amount of money to these scam artists can make it difficult for them to pay their bills - as such; they need to be vigilant in protecting their assets and avoiding creditor harassment.

Arizona Grandparent Scam

This particular scam usually involves a call to an Arizona senior with the caller claiming to be a relative - often a grandchild, distance cousin or another family member - in an emergency situation. The caller generally gives very little information about their identity, or what the emergency is, and usually requests the senior to wire money immediately. Unfortunately, wired money is difficult, if not impossible, to trace - which means it is gone as soon as you wire it.

In an ideal world, people would be able to trust others and be able to take them at their word - unfortunately that is not the world we live in. Con-artists attempt to take advantage of unsuspecting victims on a daily basis with their deceptive business practices.

Arizona seniors are especially susceptible since many fraudsters see them as "easy prey." These scams can leave seniors penniless and often unable to pay their bills. Seniors in Arizona need to protect their assets and avoid falling prey to these scams.

One particular scam perpetrated on Arizona seniors is the "Home Repair Scam." This posting will be Part 1 of a multi-part series addressing various scams against seniors in Arizona.

Home Repair Scams in Arizona

The home repair scam often involves a contractor offering to do a home repair at a very low cost - often claiming they can do it on-the-cheap because they have material left over from an earlier project - but ultimately charges more after the project is completed. Also, many times these contractors will collect an advanced fee and never return to complete the job.

These types of scams are especially prevalent after severe storms, when the homeowner is already emotionally dealing with terrible damage. In these situations, the homeowner is given verbal quote and the contractor ends up completing additional work the homeowner never asked for - and then bills the homeowner thousands of dollars more than originally agreed upon.

If you have fallen behind on your home payments, the possibility of losing your home to foreclosure can be very frightening. This fear can turn to desperation, making you vulnerable to mortgage modification scams. Knowing how the most common scams operate can help protect you from becoming a victim of mortgage fraud in Arizona - after all; there are other ways to stop foreclosures than succumbing to mortgage scams.

How the Scams Work

Most foreclosure and mortgage modification scams work the same way. They generally involve a foreclosure "rescue" or loan modification company. These companies are often not interested in helping you out with your situation, but want to make a quick profit.

These companies generally promise to help you save your house or stop the foreclosure. They may advise you to quit working with your lender and promise that they will take care of everything. However, the companies rarely will deliver on their promise and leave you in a position worse than you were in before.

Recently, USA Today reported that student loan debt in the US would reach $1 billion before the end of the year - exceeding credit card debt for the first time in history.

Possibly prompted by this frightening statistic - in addition to "Occupy Wall Street" activists calls for student loan reform - President Obama outline a new plan for student loan repayment.

Student Loan Debt in the US

In the past, many believed that obtaining a college degree almost guaranteed a good job; making college a sound investment. However, recent college graduates not only face a decimated job market but owe, on average, $24,000 in student loans. In 2009, the default rate on student loans also rose to 8.8 percent.

Obama's most recent student loan reforms involve a cap of 10 percent of income payments and forgiveness of the loans after 20 years. However, some believe a more appropriate path would be to allow student to discharge certain student loans in bankruptcy, thereby making lenders more cautious when lending to students in the first place.