ATLANTA — Misleading mailers designed to resemble official checks and urgent final mortgage notices are circulating in mailboxes across metro Atlanta.
Channel 2 Consumer Adviser Clark Howard is warning people to inspect suspicious mail closely before responding to listed phone numbers.
The documents appear official, claiming to be original notices regarding mortgage properties and directing recipients to call toll-free numbers immediately. However, calling the numbers provided on the mailers leads to extended home warranty sales departments rather than legitimate mortgage services.
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Rosario Mendez, a representative of the Federal Trade Commission, warned that deceptive solicitations frequently rely on high-pressure phrasing to manipulate recipients.
“They’re trying to make it clear that it’s very urgent, you know, some sort of official matter,” Mendez said.
She added that “scammers and dishonest companies love using phrases like that. They love scared tactics.”
According to Mendez, these mailings rarely provide the mortgage assistance they appear to promise.
“A lot of times these mailers will take you to a company that, really what they want, is to sell you something else,” Mendez said. “You end up not really getting into you know a mortgage relief, but really getting into a scam.”
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Howard says you should exercise extreme caution when receiving unfamiliar documents in the mail.
“As long as people pay mortgages, people are going to be trying to take advantage,” he said.
He encouraged homeowners to shred unverified notices rather than calling numbers printed on suspicious documents.
“It’s so hard with all the solicitations we get, all the ways people try to get in our wallet, please, be skeptical,” Howard said. “Don’t just call a number blind. If you don’t know what it is they’re gonna try to hook you into, you’re best shredding the document and not thinking about it again.”
To avoid falling victim to deceptive mailers, homeowners are advised to contact their mortgage provider directly using the verified phone number listed on official account statements.
Residents experiencing financial difficulty can ask their mortgage company about legitimate hardship programs for which they may be eligible.
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