Colleen Shields is having trouble managing her ballooning house payments. She got into an adjustable mortgage a few years ago, and now she wants out.

"We heard that Hope Now was being able to help people with adjustable loans. The way the economy is we thought it was something we needed to do," said Shields.

She thought she found her saving grace with a company called Hope Now. It's a real government service that offers you free help to try to get control of your mortgage. But then it started asking for money and personal information.

"It says if we dont have all the documents by a certain date, it's no good. Then I was thinking "This is the federal government telling me this?" said Shields.

The fake company got a hold of the real company's letterhead making it even tougher to spot the scam.

"You're always going to have con artists that are out there trying to get advantage of people who need help," said Lt. Ed Ogle from the Champaign County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office says scams follow national trends. We saw them after 9/11, and after hurricane Katrina. The mortgage crisis is where thieves see they can make a quick buck, with unsuspecting homeowners.

"They know theyre' hurting, they know they're in crisis. And what better prey," said Lt. Ogle.

What's worse, tracking these fake companies down is nearly impossible because they're often run from outside the country. Police say preventing it before it happens is the only way to make sure you keep your money and your identity.

"It goes back to the same old adage. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," said Ogle.

The sheriff's department says there are a few easy things you can remember to keep from someone cheating you out of your money.

1. Call the attorney general's office. You can check to find out more information about a company to see if it's legitimate.

2. Ask a company for references. If representatives refuse, that's a big red flag.

3. Be extra careful if they're asking for money over the internet. It's an easy way for scammers to get your identity.