Five mortgage foreclosure companies and their owners are being sued by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, according to an article written by Christian Hetrick for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Companies owned by Mark Goldstein and Drew Alia allegedly fooled homeowners into paying approximately $280,000 for unnecessary services, according to the civil lawsuit filed against them.
Some unsuspecting homebuyers were instructed to refrain from making payments or contacting their mortgage lenders. Furthermore, others even lost their homes or consequently filed for bankruptcy, according to Hetrick.
From the article:
Defendants Mark Goldstein, Drew Alia, and their companies preyed upon dozens of Pennsylvanians and other consumers who thought they were making a smart decision for their home and family,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement. “I’m suing to get restitution for every person and hold these companies accountable.”
Goldstein, Alia, and the five Philadelphia-based companies — GMK Solutions, the Foreclosure Law Center, Century Legal Group, Alia Law Group, and the Law Office of Drew Alia — did not return messages or could not be reached.
Victims of the scam hoped to lower their monthly mortgage bills or save their homes from foreclosure, but some consumers ultimately lost their houses in sheriff’s sales during the scam from 2008 to 2015, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The complaint said defendants dodged calls from worried consumers and refused to offer refunds.
