In an effort to push people away from foreclosure scams, the Federal Reserve has commissioned a 30-second commercial to be shown in the nine states with the highest incidence of home foreclosures.

The commercial will air Friday through April 17 in 18 movie theaters in California, Nevada, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland and Virginia. Many are multiplex theaters, and the commercial will run on all screens. So in addition to movie previews and the plea for moviegoers to turn off their cell phones, people will be warned to avoid outfits that will take advantage of them if they are having trouble making their mortgage payments.

The take-away tagline for the crisp, slick ad says: “It shouldn’t hurt to get help!” In the voice-over, troubled homeowners are encouraged to go to federalreserve.gov and click on the link “5 Tips for Avoiding Foreclosure Scams.”

The Fed isn’t alone in trying to stomp out these schemes multiplying like cockroaches as the housing crisis worsens. There is a federal and state-led posse trying to round up the scoundrels ripping off homeowners at their most vulnerable time.

The Federal Trade Commission, along with the Departments of Treasury, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced joint efforts to coordinate and aggressively go after mortgage modification and home foreclosure rescue companies.

After reviewing advertisements nationwide, the FTC sent warning letters to 71 companies who may be deceptively marketing mortgage services.

In the last year, the FTC said it has brought 11 law enforcement actions against operations the agency said was conning consumers. There has also been plenty of state action in running down companies engaged in fraudulent activity.

Typically this is how a foreclosure scam works. A company will “guarantee” it can stop a foreclosure or help a homeowner, through a mortgage modification, get a better interest rate or reduce his or her monthly payment. To snare its prey, the company may use a copycat name or look-alike Web site to appear to be government-sponsored or a nonprofit, according to the FTC.

In a panic, victims pony up an upfront fee usually ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. But after collecting the money, the company does little if anything to assist the homeowner.

The sad part is that homeowners can get foreclosure prevention assistance for free from legitimate nonprofit housing counseling groups certified by HUD. You can find a counselor operating in your local community by going to hud.gov or by calling 877-483-1515. These groups do not charge for their services and actually help some people modify their loans or avoid foreclosure.

Under the foreclosure scam extermination plan, loan servicers have agreed to distribute the FTC consumer tips in monthly statements, in correspondence to delinquent borrowers, in counseling sessions, and on their Web sites.

I find that last effort laughable.

I’ve heard from homeowners frantic and frustrated because they have tried to contact their lender or loan servicer but they get volleyed around from one person to the next. They are often forced to wait weeks for a response to their pleas for help.

HUD-approved housing counselors complain that many lenders and loan servicers are not working hard enough or in good faith to modify loans that should and could be modified. Some people are getting help, but not enough, and not soon enough.

So when a company comes along offering to guarantee assistance and save their homes, these distressed people jump at the chance of hope. They don’t see that paying an upfront fee of $1,000 to $3,000 is foolish.

The federal and state efforts are admirable. But I’m not optimistic this campaign will significantly squash the cockroaches preying on people trying to avoid foreclosure. The housing crisis has just left too many homeowners to feed upon. This infestation won’t go away until the source of the problem is eradicated.