Lawyers prey on foreclosure-facing homeowners in San Fernando Valley and beyond

Paulette Breen sensed something was wrong when her home loan modification made her mortgage payments more expensive.

Suspecting fraud, the Van Nuys resident hired a lawyer to sort things out.

That only made things worse.

The attorney told her there was indeed fraud, and promised to sue the bank and get her a new loan. She paid him $8,000 upfront and he advised her to stop making her mortgage