With foreclosures at record highs, many people are just looking for a way to save their home. But before you sign up for a new payment plan, make sure you know what you're in for. We found companies scamming people out of thousands of dollars... and still failing to help them save their homes. The Harry family made some tough choices to get into their home. Now, stuck in an adjustable rate mortgage, they're trying to lock into a better one before they get stuck with sky-high rates. "You always hear stories out there about people you know, getting scammed so we're just hoping that we can find someone we can trust or some sort of program out there that can help us stay in our home," they told us. They're out there. Plenty of companies offer mortgage modifications. Just ask John Snyder, who is with "Neighborhood Works America," about all the unscrupulous companies trying to get their piece of the action. "We're hearing, you know, probably every two to three weeks about a new scam," Snyder said. The con artists send out spam and letters to homeowners by the thousands. Even if you're looking on your own for a new mortgage, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Laurie Maggiano, who is with HUD, said there are so many offers out there, it IS confusing. "It's very difficult for someone whose confused, concerned and very anxious to sort through all of that information." There are some red flags to watch out for in your search for a better mortage. The first: big promises. "They'll say we can guarantee your payment will be reduced by 50%. We can guarantee that your lender will extend your terms out to 40 years. We will guarantee your interest rate will be reduced by 3% these are all pulled out of the air," Snyder explained. ¤0 ]] C2.1 G 0 [[ ¶Watch out for companies that charge exorbitant fees too... Some ask for thousands of dollars. Maggiano said that's fishy. "If the borrower has that kind of money, they should be using it to help reinstate their loans rather than pay it to a third party." Maggiano recommended calling your current lender first, to see if you can get help there. Or work through a HUD-certified counselor to get your payments under control. The Harry family wishes that's what they'd done. "Do your homework because I feel like maybe if we had done that in the past we might not be in the situation that we're in right now," Amanda Harry confessed. Last year foreclosures rose more than 20% in Wisconsin.