This online toolkit, which was funded under the U.S. Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime's Mortgage Fraud Victim Initiative, is intended to instruct victim service providers, attorneys, and other allied organizations in the many crimes, frauds, and schemes that involve mortgage fraud and how best to serve its victims.
One section of the toolkit focuses on raising public awareness of mortgage fraud, providing multimedia resources that address the warning signs of potential fraud schemes. Another section of the toolkit informs users on types of mortgage fraud schemes and their impact on the housing industry. This gives victim service providers and community leaders a broader perspective that prepares them to assist victims and identify at-risk homeowners. A third section of the toolkit assists victims in understanding their rights and steps they can take to recover from mortgage fraud, which include reporting the crime to the appropriate government agencies and organizations. A fourth toolkit section is directed to victim service providers. It provides resources for staying up-to-date on typical mortgage fraud schemes, issues facing victims, and how they can be more effective in assisting victims in their recovery.