The Illinois Attorney General filed suit against a Chicago-area company recently, accusing the company of perpetrating a mortgage rescue and consumer fraud scheme that preyed on struggling Latino homeowners.
According to the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Carrey Services and its president Reynaldo Rojas, allegedly illegally charged consumers approximately $20,000 in upfront fees that resulted in little, if any, help to stay in their homes.
Madigan’s office filed suit against Carrey Services and seeks to shut down the company and obtain restitution for consumers.
In the suit, Madigan alleges that Carrey Services advertised in Spanish-language newspapers and primarily targeted the Latino community with loan modification services.
The lawsuit also alleges that Rojas met with consumers and made them sign various loan modification documents, but never provided the consumers with copies.
In many instances, the documents were printed in English even though most of the company’s consumers were Spanish-speaking.
Additionally, Madigan alleges that Carrey Services charged upfront fees that exceeded the amount allowed under state law.
Then, after failing to do any work, Carrey Services allegedly refused to provide refunds to the aggrieved consumers and, in many cases, were unresponsive to mediation letters from the Attorney General's Office.
"Financially strapped homeowners are the most vulnerable to mortgage 'rescue' schemes," Madigan said. "In most cases, the only thing these so-called businesses accomplish is taking money from already struggling homeowners."
