Mortgage Library

Tips to Secure Yourself and Your Account Against Fraud

Customers should beware of phone calls and emails from individuals claiming to be PHH Mortgage employees demanding payments in the form of a pre-paid debit/gift card to cover trial loan modification payments, escrow shortages and/or to avoid foreclosure. These imposters may be calling from what appears to be a legitimate PHH Mortgage phone number, this is called "spoofing".
 
Tips to help secure your money and personal information :

• Spot Imposters. Fraudsters will usually misrepresent themselves as a trusted source, such as the government, or one of the lenders you have a relationship with. Do not give out personal information or send any money in response to an unexpected request. 
• Know the signs of financial exploitation. Learn how to recognize patterns that might indicate unauthorized use of funds or resources such as unpaid bills, large or frequent withdrawals form bank accounts, suspicious signatures, and new "friends" that take a sudden interest in legal documents and financial arrangements. 
• When in doubt, verify an unexpected request. If you receive an unexpected request by an individual claiming to be a trusted source, contact the source to verify if the contact was made by them.
• Don’t trust caller ID. Fraudsters have ability to “spoof” their phone number, so it appears that this person is calling from a trusted phone number. If the request is unexpected and you suspect you are experiencing a fraudulent attempt, refer to tip #1 and do not give out personal information or send any money.
• Consider the payment method. Many fraud scams will ask that consumers pay in methods that cannot be traced or reversed. Suspicious requests of payment using a wire or gift card should be a red flag and you should not fulfill these requests.  We will not email you or informally communicate changes to payment methods. Always refer to your billing statements or call us to confirm any suspicious re-direction of payment changes.
• Don’t pay upfront. Someone might ask you to pay in advance for things like debt relief, loan modifications, credit and loan offers, a job, or even a prize. If you pay things upfront, you likely will not see the promise fulfilled or your money back.
• Open your mail. If you did provide personal information to a fraudster, believing the individual represented a trusted source, they may try to use that information to gain access to or make changes to one of your accounts. In these events, if suspicious activity is suspected, your lenders may attempt to contact you to verify the activity. Be sure to read all of your mail and be on the lookout for such communications.
• Do your research. Before trusting a source or making any payments, look up the company or product to determine credibility or reviews. Take the time to educate yourself first, to prevent yourself from losses.
• Monitor your credit frequently. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies once every 12 months by visiting http://www.annualcreditreport.com, calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228, or by completing an Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348.
• Monitor the contact information on your account. Did you make any changes to your phone number, email address, or mailing address? Make sure we have your current information.
• Be especially aware of common types of senior financial abuse. This may include telemarketing and internet fraud, identity theft and credit card fraud, sweepstakes and lottery scams, investment schemes and fraud, and scams asking a senior to wire money or send prepaid debit cards to grandchildren or other family members in trouble. 
• WhatsApp and social media scams. There has been a surge in scams via social media, text messaging and WhatsApp. We will not contact you regarding an account via social media or WhatsApp. Please be aware of statements such as "I will make you rich", "let me pay your loan balance", or any intriguing lease that results in sharing any personally identifiable or account information. 
  • If the person messaging you claims to be a family member or friend, or a representative from one of your accounts (banking, credit card or financial institution) you can contact them through a different means (i.e. their published contact information) to verify whether it's legitimate or not. 
  • Never answer WhatsApp messages or calls from numbers you don't recognize, and never click on links included in WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers. 
• Report Fraud. If you believe you have been a recent victim of fraud, you can file a complaint with the FTC at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338). Complaints filed with the FTC will be added to the FTC’s Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse, which is a database made available to law enforcement agencies.