This week is NeighborWorks week, and we are teaming up with our friends at NeighborWorks to share their Stop the Home Scams campaign. Home scams have always been a threat to our community, but they are becoming more and more prevalent because of the pandemic.
Being able to spot a scam is so important, but it can be hard to do. Luckily, Stop the Home Scams has provided 10 tips to spot and avoid home scams. Please take a look below and learn how to spot a home scam and share with your family and friends.
To learn more about how to stop a home scam, please visit stophomescams.org. To report a scam, please visit reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/.
View the PDF here: NeighborWorks_10tips
Ten tips to spot a home scam:
- Avoid promises of success or anyone who guarantees to assist with payment or prevent foreclosure or eviction.
- Avoid companies that tell you to stop paying your rent or mortgage.
- Reach out to your landlord or mortgage company when you are struggling with your monthly payments, to ask any questions or share concerns about your home.
- Do not pay any money to anyone who is not your mortgage company or landlord.
- Do not pay up front for a service that hasn’t been completed.
- Never give out financial, identifiable, or personal information without verifying the identity and credentials of who you are speaking with.
- Never sign any documents without having them reviewed by a lawyer or legal expert.
- Learn about the real options available to you as a homeowner or renter by speaking with a Housing Advisor at a HUD-approved counseling agency. You can call CHN’s Housing Advisors at (216) 672-3553.
- Report suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
- Find more resources to protect yourself from scams by visiting: www.StopHomeScams.org.
