It's scam season

Scammers generally prey on their own ethnic or racial group, said Victor Minjares of the attorney general's office in Washington, D.C., and a former deputy D.A. for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. He was the prosecuting attorney in 1997 when Barnett pleaded no contest to multiple felonies and was sentenced to state prison for defrauding more than 20 people, most of whom were elderly African Americans living in South Central Los Angeles, out of their money and their homes over a period of eight years.

"It's all part of the building of trust," Minjares said.

According to additional court documents filed in August, Baker said Barnett represented himself as a "man of God." Over time, trust was built, Baker said. So, when Barnett allegedly asked him to sign and initial the mountainous stack of documents -- which, according to Reed, included a residential lease agreement, an equity purchase agreement for sale of the home and several grant deeds, an option for Baker to repurchase the home within three years and a requirement that Baker's consent be given for any future property transfers -- the trusting retiree signed without question.

"Of course, for the entire duration of this time period, Eddie [Baker] is making these monthly payments and thinking his credit is being cleared and everything is fine," Reed said.

According to the August court documents, Baker began receiving mail in 2006 for the co-defendant who purchased the property from Trusperity in October 2005. Although he questioned Barnett about the mail, Baker said in the court documents that he was told not to worry.

In December 2006, Baker said in court documents that several individuals came to collect the mail and visit the home. In March and April of this year, more people asked to view the property. Baker turned them away. When eviction papers arrived in March of this year, Baker turned to Public Counsel for help.

Baker's case is scheduled to go before the court sometime next year. "But the best outcome for Eddie is that he and his family get to keep their home of almost 40 years," Reed said.

Experts say low-income and working-class whites and monolingual Spanish speakers in their 30s and 40s and African Americans and Latinos in their 60s and 70s are choice picks for scammers.

"The elderly person generally is more vulnerable because the income stream is reduced," Reed said. But those who are homeowners often have a valuable asset, and once they fall behind on payments, there's an ability for businesses, both legitimate and not, to target them, she added.