Joe Ingoglia and his wife lived in their home nearly seven years. One day, they got a letter marked urgent. It claimed their house had been in foreclosure and that someone sold it.
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“Well, it was concerning. I took a screenshot of it, sent it to my wife,” he said.
The letter offered to help them reverse the sale and keep them in their home.
Ingoglia works in construction and has experience buying foreclosure properties. So, he knew where to look to make sure his home hadn’t been sold.
“It’s unethical, and we need to have public awareness for our community, especially for people that aren’t tech savvy and our elderly community,” he said.
The letter looks like -- what’s called -- a “foreclosure rescue” scam. The letters typically have an urgent tone and may use official-looking logos to make them more believable. Scammers behind them could be looking to collect upfront fees or even have homeowners sign over their deed by convincing them they can stay in the home -- as renters -- and eventually buy it back.
Banks have been warning people about this kind of letter, including a social media alert calling it a scam in big, red letters.
Channel 9’s sister station in Orlando called the number on the letter. The woman on the phone identified the company as Pro Elite Group and claimed to be based in California. She promised to have a supervisor call back that day. At last check, no one ever did.
Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke says if you get a letter like this:
- Don’t respond.
- Ask your lender first.
- You can also ask your county clerk of court how to find out if there are any liens or foreclosure actions involving your property.
- If you are facing foreclosure, you may want to talk to a real estate lawyer.
- Know there are legitimate foreclosure rescue companies out there. Just make sure you vet them first.