I-TEAM: Fake foreclosure notices prompt warning from county officials
A woman got a letter in the mail and thought she was going to lose her childhood home.
But it was a fake foreclosure letter and she’s not the only person who got one.
Kathy Keith grew up in a home on the west side of Dayton.
She now lives in Delaware and said her childhood home has been vacant since 2020.
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This week she got a letter in the mail, that said her Dayton home would be sold at the next sheriff’s real estate auction if she didn’t address signs of vacancy and abonnement in 10 days.
So, Keith called Montgomery County to get some help.
“She asked me to send her a copy of the letter. I emailed her the letter, she said she’ll get back to me. They got back with me and she said, ‘Ms. Keith, this is fraud’,” she said.
Montgomery County Treasurer John McManus said Friday on WHIO-TV Tonight at 11 p.m. that his office has gotten multiple calls from people who got similar letters.
“That is a huge concern. Because in Ohio, and in Montgomery County, specifically, we are seeing an exponential increase in fraud in real estate,” McManus said.
He said a real foreclosure notice would arrive via certified mail.
That means you would have to sign for it.
You can also check online county clerk public records to see if a valid judicial foreclosure has been filed.
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As well as call the treasurer’s office if you have questions.
In the fake letter, it shows a phone number to call to get this sorted out. The number goes to a man’s voicemail.
“There are a lot of bad actors out there who are trying to prey on unsuspecting individuals and clearly to scare them into handing over their money and we want to make sure that that doesn’t happen,” McManus said.
Keith is glad she called and hopes sharing her story helps others.
“I have I have a house that has value to me. And I’m not just gonna let you just take it, without a fight,” she said.
The Montgomery County Treasures Office said they are working to find out how many people got the fake letters.
If you want to verify whether or not a foreclosure case has really been filed with the count, you can contact McManus’ office at (937)-225-4010.
If you think you’ve been scammed by these fake notices, you can contact the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office’s Consumer Fraud Unit at (937)-225-4747.
