Brentwood Press - Index

Brentwood Press - OakleyPress_07.04.08 - Index

JULY 4, 2008 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 9A
PC repossessed via
electronic exorcism
My computer went nuts. I’m
not sure that’s an accurate diagnosis
from a technological perspective,
but it fits anthropomorphically. The
RANDOM
THOUGHTS
RALPH
HIGGINS
thing was evil. I
think it was actually
possessed.
I first suspected
maleficent
motives when my
portfolio disappeared,
but my
computer’s habit
of freezing up, as
though to mock me
or test my patience,
was enough for
me to consider pulling the plug that
gives it life. I could almost hear it
laughing as I frantically pushed arrows
around the screen, clicking and
cursing until I would finally turn it
off with an aggressive blow that I
hoped it felt.
More than once, I had an overwhelming
desire to blow the thing
to smithereens in an exuberant and
gleeful moment of cathartic ecstasy.
With its extensive record of recidivism,
I saw very little hope for rehabilitation
and absolutely no hope
for a compatible relationship in the
future. It was over between us.
But I must admit that we had
some good times. There were times
when my computer and I had a
relationship that would have made
Dr. Phil smile. We once worked together
toward mutual goals, laughed
together at e-mail jokes from friends,
see Exorcism page 13A
I’m starting to get many calls recently
from my clients being approached by scammers
pretending to be from their mortgage
company, and offering to help them renegotiate
or refinance their loans. They target homeowners
who have missed a house payment or two,
or who are on the notice of default list. If you
are wondering how they find that information
out, they can get this info from your credit
bureau and the public records.
Here is how the scam goes: They contact
you via phone or letter, or both. They make it
sound like they are from your lender, or that
they “work closely with” your lender. They
say that they know you have a “bad loan” and
that they have a very high success rate in getting
your rate, payment or even your balance
reduced, or all three. They will tell you about
having powerful lawyers on retainer and direct
lines of communication to the highest levels at
your mortgage company. After asking you a few
simple questions, they will calculate how much
they will be able to save you, and it will sound
very enticing. All they need is for you to send
ANOTHER SCAM ALERT
them several thousand dollars (I’ve head $2,600
from several clients) in the form of a cashier’s
check, and they can get started right away. If
you tell them you want to think about it, or
want to run it by your lawyer, agent, etc., they
will go into high-pressure mode and tell you the
window to modify your loan is about to close.
If you are under financial duress and
need to request a loan modification from your
lender, contact your lender directly. Don’t go
through a third party if they are going to charge
large up-front fees with no guarantee of success.
Remember, no legitimate lender would charge
you thousands of dollars just to apply for a refinance
loan. If you want to have some fun, ask
if they will take their fee once your loan is successfully
modified and see how fast they hang
up on you…
If you have questions on this or any other
real estate topic, call me at (925) 240-MOVE
(6683). To search the MLS for free and view
virtual tours of homes for sale, go to: www.
SharpHomesOnline.com. Sharp Realty
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