The Letter That Looks Official and Is Designed to Fool You

After you close on your VA home loan you are going to start receiving letters. Some of them will look remarkably official. They will have the appearance of formal mortgage correspondence. They will reference your mortgage. They will create urgency with language about flags on your account or second notifications and deadlines that seem important.

Mark Clark wants you to know what these are before one lands in your mailbox and causes unnecessary panic.

What These Letters Are Actually Doing

The letter is designed to look legitimate. It will reference your mortgage company in the upper left corner. It will use words like flagged and urgent and second notification. It will give you a deadline to respond. All of it is engineered to create enough anxiety that you pick up the phone and call the number listed.

When Mark looked up the number on one of these letters Google could not find any company associated with it. No legitimate business. No recognizable entity. Just a number designed to connect you with someone who wants to take your money or your personal information.

These are scams. Throw them away. Shred them. Do not call the number. Do not respond to the deadline. Do not provide any personal information.

Why VA Buyers Are Targeted

Veterans who have recently closed on a VA home loan are a known and identifiable population. Public records show property transfers and mortgage recordings. Scammers use that information to generate targeted mail that feels personally relevant because in a limited sense it is. They know you closed on a home. They know you have a mortgage. They use that to make the letter feel credible.

The official-looking format is intentional. The urgency language is intentional. The unfamiliar company name that sounds vaguely financial is intentional. Every element is designed to lower your guard.

What to Do When These Arrive

Shred it. That is the short answer. If you are ever uncertain about a piece of mail that references your mortgage call Mark Clark directly. He will always respond quickly and he will tell you honestly whether something is legitimate or not. That is part of what the relationship after closing is supposed to look like.

You should never have to navigate confusing mortgage correspondence alone and you should never have to guess whether something is real. Call or message Mark Clark with any questions and he will help you sort it out immediately.

Do not fall for it.

Sources

VA.gov
ConsumerFinancialProtectionBureau.gov
FTC.gov
MilitaryOneSource.mil
Investopedia.com