A comprehensive campaign to warn homeowners about the alarming increase in scams targeting foreclosure victims was announced by the California Association of Realtors and the California District Attorneys Association on Friday.

Reports of attempted rip-offs have climbed nearly 60 percent nationwide in 2012 according to the nonprofit Homeownership Preservation Foundation.

With the recent mortgage settlement agreement between the nation’s five major banks, homeowners facing foreclosure are prime targets of scammers offering reduced mortgage payments, said the Realty and district attorney associations.

“Homeowners facing foreclosure are in a vulnerable emotional and financial situation, and scammers will employ almost any tactic to exploit them,” said LeFrancis Arnold, CAR president. “It is important that these homeowners know that they should never pay fees in advance to anyone promising to lower their monthly payment or any other service. In fact, there are usually no costs associated with modifying a loan.”

Educational events and public service announcements will be used as tools to educate and alert homeowners facing foreclosure, so they can protect themselves and find valid sources of help. Public service announcements will begin airing this month on radio and television stations throughout California.

“Our Real Estate Fraud Unit is on the front lines of preventing and prosecuting mortgage fraud crimes. If someone believes they may have been a victim of real estate fraud, or for information on how to avoid becoming a victim, we encourage them to contact our office,” said Jan Scully, Sacramento County district attorney.

Some of the red flags alerting a homeowner of a potential scam are if the caller asks for money up front, instructs the homeowner not contact a lender or lawyer, asks for mortgage payments to be made directly to his or her company or bank account or requires payment only in the form of cash. Some scammers promise to stop the foreclosure process or ask homeowners to transfer the property deed or title to his or her company.

If a homeowner suspects he or she has been contacted by a scammer, they are urged to contact the California Attorney General’s Office or the Federal Trade Commission.