Ventura County prosecutors are seeing a rise in the number of complaints from people who have been wronged in real estate transactions.

"We generally categorize it as foreclosure rescue fraud," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Miles Weiss. "Basically, false promises about being able to save people, their credit, the equity in their home, etc."

Complaints have increased nearly 24 percent this year as the housing market has been rocked by the subprime lending crisis. There were 270 foreclosures in Ventura County in 2006, but that number has ballooned to 1,234 as of October, according to the District Attorney's Office.

To help homeowners in distress, Freddie Mac, a government-sponsored agency that buys mortgages, has teamed with a coalition of local agencies and organizations to launch the Don't Borrow Trouble campaign. Officials at an Oxnard news conference Friday said the aim is to educate consumers about predatory and abusive lending practices.

As head of the Real Estate Fraud Protection Union, Weiss is working with people who feel they were cheated, such as Jim and Tara B. of Moorpark. He didn't provide their last name because the case is active.

Jim, a machinist, and Tara, a bilingual school aide, lived in their home for nine years but fell behind on their mortgage payments in 2005. After receiving a notice of default — the first step toward foreclosure — they began receiving assistance offers in the mail.

After calling a manager of a firm offering help, they refinanced their home to lower their monthly payments and avoid foreclosure.

"Or so they thought," Weiss said.

They were making payments to the manager of the business and everything seemed fine until Jim became ill in 2006. When they fell behind on their payments again, they were sued for eviction. That's when they learned they no longer owned their home and had been unknowingly renting the house from the manager.

"Jim and Tara sold their home to the manager for $55,000 less than the market value and paid him an additional $50,000 fee' for doing so," Weiss said.

District Attorney Gregory Totten vowed at the news conference to end the type of deals that snagged Jim and Tara, cautioning predatory lenders by saying, "You better watch out."

Totten's warning kicked off the Don't Borrow Trouble campaign, which is active in more than 50 locations across the nation.

Several legislators at the event stressed the importance of addressing the issue, including state Assemblywoman Audra Strickland, R-Moorpark, Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, and Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn.

"This matter will be coming before the Legislature with great fury come January," Strickland told the gathering.

A Realtor with 33 years in the business, Jim Keith spoke as co-chairman of the Real Estate Fraud Team, or REFAT, a group of local real estate professionals.

Keith stressed that the district attorney can't handle the problem alone, so the Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors and the Department of Real Estate are imploring Realtors and members of the public to file complaints.

"There are people in this business who don't belong in this business, but they will continue to be there until somebody does something about it," he said.

REFAT and Freddie Mac are planning workshops to educate consumers about credit and money management. Consumers who need advice concerning real estate issues are advised to call 211 for assistance.