It can be difficult to spot homeowner scams, but even a small dose of information can help New Yorkers avoid them.
Earlier this summer, Shani Kulture, radio personality and producer of HOT 97’s “Ebro in the Morning”, and Allison Antwi, program manager at the Center, took to the streets of Jamaica, Queens to talk to homeowners about foreclosure scams.
The location was no accident. In Southeast Queens, there has been no end to the foreclosure crisis even as it has eased throughout most of the city. While the number of foreclosure filings decreased 25% citywide between 2013 and 2015, they only went down 9% in ZIP code 11434, which encompasses Jamaica, St. Albans and Hollis, according to PropertyShark. In 2015, that ZIP code led the city in foreclosure filings with 382.
At the same time, struggling homeowners have become the targets of scammers looking to make quick cash off people who are down on their luck.
In an effort to raise awareness of these homeowner scams, Shani talked to New Yorkers to find out if they could identify when they were being scammed, and Allison, explained how homeowners can protect themselves from scams. Homeowners were encouraged to call the New York Attorney General’s hotline at 1-855-HOME-456 or visit AGScamhelp.com to get connected to free, high-quality help.
Want to know what homeowners told Shani? Head over to www.hot97.com/dontgetscammed to see the video.