Warning Issued
About Mortgage Scheme

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said a new scheme could cost people big bucks if care is not observed

It starts with an unsolicited letter claiming  a refund is owed worth thousands of dollars.

One Lehigh Acres couple got a notice saying they were owed up to $7,500 dollars because they were overpaying for their mortgage.  But after taking a closer look at the letter, they decided this was probably just too good to be true.

According to Linda Harclerode,,” It’s unbelievable. It all started with a letter that I just thought was junk mail.”

Mail that claimed Linda Harclerode and her husband might be owed a mortgage refund worth thousands of dollars. 

“It was scary… it was like where did this come from?” Harclerode added.

The letter came from a company called ‘The Mortgage Auditing Program.’  While the possibility of as much as $7,500 back seemed great, Linda says the other numbers in the letter raised some red flags.

“Nothing matched up, the date of our mortgage, the amount…” Harclerode said.

So they called the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Fraud Unit.

Beth Schell with LCSO said when they called the company they found out before seeing any refund money the homeowner would have to pay 300 dollars so the company can review all payments to the mortgage lender.

According to Schell, unless  contacted by a reputable company, take the time to make sure that it’s legitimate; don’t respond to things that are received  randomly in the mail, or random emails or random phone calls.

A warning Harclerode said she hopes more people will take seriously.