SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Have you bought a home or taken out a loan recently? You could be a prime target for scammers who are posing as mortgage lenders in KELOLAND.

“I have received a card and then a letter that appears to come from my mortgage holder, LEVO Credit Union,” Sioux Falls homeowner Danette Nordquist said. 

LEVO Federal Credit Union recently sent out an email to its members warning them of an increase in reports of a blue scam postcard.

“People have been receiving just little postcards in the mail, it’s a very cheap mailing, it tells them that they have information about their mortgage and that they need to respond quickly,” LEVO Assistant Vice President of Audit & Compliance said.

“It says LEVO Federal Credit Union, and then it has a 1-800 number to contact,” Nordquist said. 
Nordquist received the scam mail posing as her mortgage company shortly after purchasing a new home.

“Maybe four or five months later I received the card and the letter related to my home warranty renewal,” Nordquist said.

Nordquist doesn’t have a home warranty and knew right away that both items were a scam, but she says the mailings did have several details to make them appear legitimate.

“It looks like it a County Deed Record and has a picture of the home, so kind of makes you think it’s real,” Nordquist said.

So how did scammers end up finding a picture and the address of the home she recently purchased?

“All of this information gathered during the mortgage process becomes centralized whether it’s with the county records which is public information,” Walser said. “When they have the address, they can just Google a photo of the home.”

Walser says the goal of these scam letters may be to get you to cash a false check attacked, but many are just trying to get you to call the 800 number listed on the false mailing.

“They want to know all your important information,” Walser said. “Addresses, account numbers, anything like that will help them get what they want to get, and that’s your money in the end.”

Walser says it’s likely the down economy is one of the reasons we’re seeing an uptick in these scam mailings right now.

“If you see any numbers that are too good to be true, lower your interest rates, pay off your debt, that’s a red flag,” Walser said.

LEVO says any of their legitimate mail will include the company’s official letterhead and won’t have misspellings or pressure people to act immediately, those are all signs the letter you received is a scam and you should contact your bank right away.