Have you purchased or possibly refinanced your home mortgage, recently? Well, you could be a target.
Recently blue postcards have been landing in our mailboxes. They say "IMMEDIATE RESPONSE NEEDED" or "ACT NOW", as it pertains to your loan.
THIS IS DEFINITELY A SCAM!
If you've recently purchased or even refinanced your home mortgage, this makes you susceptible to becoming a prime target of this specific scam.
You are probably asking yourself “How does this happen?” When you take out mortgage, it becomes public information once the documents are filed with the court. What this means is that the information about the mortgage lender, loan amount, mortgage number, property address and name of the borrower, can all be obtained through a simple public records search. Unfortunately, the “scammers” have nothing but time on their hands to research this information. Once they have the basic information, they are able to create their mailer, phone script, etc. Using the words “important”, "required" and “urgent,” they try to get your attention to act immediately.
Home State Bank customers, please know that we have fraud prevention tools and our own security measures in place to protect your information from unauthorized use and/or access. Please feel free to review our financial privacy policy for details. Know that Home State Bank will NEVER send you an email, text or mailer of this nature.
As a consumer in these types of situations, we urge you to think of the acronym S.L.O.W. Stop.Look.Observe.Wait.
Stop. Don't let yourself get pulled into the "IMMEDIATE RESPONSE NEEDED".
Look. Does the mailer seem realistic? Would my financial institution send me something like this?
Observe. Does it have their actual contact information? Is there fine print? Is the company logo on here?
Wait. Don't act now! Contact your financial institution using a number you know and trust - not what's on the mailer as this can be directed to the "scammers" fake answering system.
Below is the most recent mailer we've seen:
Red Flag Alerts:
- The postcard doesn't really appear to indicate who it is from.
- The document received about your mortgage wasn't sent in a sealed first-class letter or envelope.
- The postage is paid out of Daytona, BCH, FL. and not Jefferson, IA.
- The mortgage number displayed, doesn't match your actual mortgage number.
- The fine print states they are not affiliated with, sponsored by, and loan information not provided by Home State Bank.
- The phone number isn't the actual number for Home State Bank.
Wondering what to do?
Throw the postcard away. You DO NOT need to take any action. Home State Bank is NOT affiliated with the sender. If ever you are unsure about a mailer or a call, please contact us directly or even stop in a visit with one of our Personal Bankers.
How to keep yourself protected.
Be aware or recent scams and know how to detect the signs of a scam. A great tool is the Iowa Department of Justice office of the Attorney General. This site provides information on filing complaints, reporting fraud and event learning some great safety tips.
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