Top 10 Tips to Avoid Home Scams
Knowledge is your best defense against home scams. NeighborWorks America’s national Stop Home Scams campaign has 10 tips to help homeowners and renters avoid them:
- Avoid promises of success or anyone who guarantees to assist with payment or prevent foreclosure or eviction. No one can make this promise.
- Avoid companies that tell you to stop paying your rent or mortgage. Being told to stop paying is a sure sign of a scam.
- 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. Never pay this person or business in cash or with a wire transfer, as this is a sign of a scam.
- Do not pay up front for a service that hasn’t been completed. A “money-back guarantee” is unnecessary when advance fees for mortgage assistance are illegal.
- 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. A scammer may try to rush you into a binding agreement.
- 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.
- Report suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Visit StopHomeScams.org for more info.
- Find more resources to protect yourself from scams by visiting: www.StopHomeScams.org.
