You know your mortgage is a major investment—and scammers know that too. It’s critically important to protect yourself from bad actors who may try to defraud you of your money. Learn what to look out for and how to react to suspicious activity:
How It Works
Scammers may reach out to you by email or over the phone, pretending to represent Newrez. They may claim you owe them money for things like:
- Loan modifications
- Late payments
- Foreclosure prevention services (Learn more about foreclosure scams)
- Escrow shortages
They often provide fraudulent payment instructions, such as:
- Wire transfers to unaffiliated bank accounts (Learn more about mortgage fraud)
- Gift cards or prepaid credit cards
- Barcodes or QR codes you have to scan at a retailer like Walmart®
Red Flags to Watch Out For
Be on guard if you encounter:
- Requests for urgent payment using non-traditional methods
- Emails from unfamiliar addresses or calls from unfamiliar phone numbers
- Instructions to wire money to a person or business not associated with Newrez
- Pressure to act immediately or face consequences
How to Protect Yourself
Newrez takes measures to protect our customers from fraud, including encrypting outgoing emails, securing all payments and asking for verification of your identity. But remember, scammers have many methods of defrauding unsuspecting borrowers, and it is always a good idea to double check any request for payment.
Here’s how to keep yourself secure:
- Verify any payment requests by calling Newrez directly using the number on your mortgage statement or a number on our actual website. You can ask a customer service representative to verify payment information including the bank, routing number and account number where your payment should be sent.
- DO NOT click any links in a suspicious email. Sometimes scammers create fake login pages to steal your personal login information.
- DO NOT send money or share personal information if you aren’t sure you’re communicating with a real Newrez team member. (Learn more about identity theft)
- Report suspicious activity to:
- Newrez customer service
- Your local law enforcement
- The Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation at fbi.gov
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov
A Little Awareness Goes a Long Way
Newrez is committed to doing all we can to protect our customers from fraudsters, including providing educational articles like this one. Taking a few seconds to double-check that an email or phone call is legitimate could mean the difference between you suffering a huge financial loss and keeping your hard-earned investment. When in doubt, reach out to us—because peace of mind is priceless.
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