NY attorney general warns about mortgage scams

New York's attorney general is warning homeowners to be alert for phone calls from people posing as bank or government officials to get personal information through bogus offers of help with their mortgages.

Eric Schneiderman says the calls are connected to the recent national settlement of loan management and foreclosure abuses by banks.

He says some of the scammers are offering help making a loan payment and asking for a borrower's bank account routing information. Others may ask for an upfront fee for help with a mortgage modification.

In any case, Schneiderman says the best defense is refusing to provide personal and financial information that their actual banks will already have.

And charging the upfront fees is illegal in New York.

Suspicious calls should be reported to Schneiderman's office.