TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Pam Bondi's office has sued a company that allegedly preyed on distressed homeowners by defrauding them out of thousands of dollars in a mortgage relief scam. According to the complaint, Whitestone Capital Trust, LLC, Become the Bank, LLC, and Nicholas Torgerson violated Florida’s consumer protection laws by charging homeowners up-front fees and falsely misrepresenting that the defendants would cancel or void the homeowners’ mortgage. “Today’s lawsuit will protect Florida’s homeowners from this mortgage relief scam,” stated Attorney General Pam Bondi. The complaint alleges that the company charged thousands of dollars in advanced fees and misled distressed property owners by claiming that the company would work with them to help them regain the equity in their homes by permanently cancelling or voiding their mortgages. However, the company allegedly acquired titles to the distressed owners’ homes and pocketed the advance fees without providing the promised relief. The homeowners continued to remain liable for payments on the mortgage and note they believed to have been voided. The complaint seeks to bar Whitestone Capital Trust, LLC, Become the Bank, LLC, and Nicholas Torgerson from the alleged activities that violate Florida’s consumer protection laws.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Attorney General Bondi’s Office Sues Company to Protect Floridians from Mortgage Relief Scam