FIRST UNIVERSAL LENDING They got me for 2,800 an did not even call me back to say think you for your money Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

The Federal Trade Commission has frozen operations of a Palm Beach Gardens mortgage modification company, alleging it preyed on hundreds of desperate homeowners with false promises to thwart foreclosures while charging up-front fees as high as $7,000.

The move against First Universal Lending was announced late Tuesday as part of a nationwide crackdown on mortgage fraud and loan modification scams called "Operation Stolen Hope."

In the FTC's Nov. 18 complaint filed in federal court against First Universal Lending, it contends the company violated telemarketing sales rules by assuring clients it could modify mortgages in "all, or virtually all" cases, yet actually doing so in very few.

The complaint alleges that in most cases, after a customer paid a fee, the company ignored phone calls or falsely claimed loan negotiations were going well. Clients were also told to stop paying their mortgages as a way to influence lenders to reduce payment amounts, the FTC said.

More than 400 consumer complaints have been filed against the company with the Better Business Bureau and the Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, according to the FTC complaint.

It also alleges that First Universal used "bullying tactics" to persuade consumers to retract their complaints, including in one case that the Better Business Bureau considered "a form of blackmail."