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Are All Home Warranty Letters Scams?

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Short answer: no. Some letters are legitimate marketing from real companies, but there is a flood of deceptive mail that impersonates a lender or a government office and pressures you to call or pay. The sections below separate the two and show you how to verify safely.

How to Spot the Scam Letters

1) They borrow credibility from your mortgage

Many letters reference your real lender or servicer name and use phrases like Home Warranty Division or County Deed Records to imply an affiliation. Fine print often admits there is no affiliation.

2) They use urgency and threats

Scam mailers frequently say final notice, immediate response requested, or that coverage will lapse in a few days. Urgency is designed to stop you from verifying.

3) They push you to call a specific number or pay by phone

Victims who call report being steered into buying an extended warranty or service contract that is unrelated to any real obligation on their mortgage.

4) The sender is vague or hard to validate

Common tells include PO boxes without physical addresses, generic department names, and disclaimers that the sender is not affiliated with your current mortgage holder.

When a Letter Might Be Legitimate

Some real home warranty companies do send direct mail after property transactions. A non-scam letter will read like normal marketing and will not pretend to be from your lender or a government office. Legitimate letters typically meet these conditions:

It clearly identifies a real, traceable company with full contact details and a working website

No claim of affiliation with your lender or county office

No deadline pressure or threats if you do not respond

Payment options that do not require calling a single number to enroll

Important: Even if it is legitimate marketing, evaluate coverage terms carefully, compare alternatives, and check complaint history before you buy.

How to Verify Without Risk

  1. 1

    Do not use the number in the letter - contact your loan servicer using the phone number on your statement or official website to confirm whether any notice was sent.

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    Check the sender - search the company name plus reviews and complaints. Confirm a physical address and real corporate identity.

  3. 3

    Look for fake affiliation tells - fine print disclaimers, vague department names, or references to County Deed Records are red flags.

  4. 4

    Assume public-record targeting - scammers often pull your lender name and address from recorded mortgage documents and data broker lists. Do not treat inclusion of your lender name as proof of legitimacy.

What to Do If You Already Responded

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    Contact your bank or card issuer and dispute any charge if you purchased under pressure

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    Notify your loan servicer about the contact so they can document the issue

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    Report the mail to the FTC or your state consumer protection office so patterns can be tracked publicly

Still Unsure About Your Letter?

Use our scam checker tool to identify common red flags

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