State attorneys general in Idaho and Washington are warning of mortgage foreclosure rescue scams that target homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages by offering to help if they pay large upfront fees.

Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said such scams are now the top source of consumer complaints to his office. Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna dubbed the perpetrators “crooks” and “fraudsters who claim to offer mortgage relief.”

Both said homeowners having trouble paying their mortgages should contact their lender directly; help in that process is available free of charge from nonprofit, HUD-certified counselors.

McKenna’s office has filed nine lawsuits since 2007 against mortgage modification services.

“Really, you need to be wary of anybody that asks you for money upfront, because those are the types of organizations that we believe just really aren’t on the up and up,” said Kristin Alexander, spokeswoman for McKenna. “You can get assistance for free.”

McKenna’s office has a foreclosure and mortgage assistance Web page for Washington residents at www.atg.wa.gov/fore closure.aspx. Washington residents also can visit www.home ownership.wa.gov or call the state’s homeownership information hot line at 1-877-894-4663. That hot line also provides information for Washington homeowners in need of legal help who can’t afford a lawyer through the Home Foreclosure Legal Aid Project.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission announced Operation Stolen Hope, a nationwide effort to target foreclosure rescue and loan modification scams.

The Spokesman Review