Learning center

Scam warning signs

After a foreclosure, you may be contacted by people offering to “help” you recover surplus funds — sometimes within days of the sale. Some are legitimate. Many are not. Here’s how to tell the difference.

Red flags — walk away if you see these

• They demand payment upfront before explaining what they’ll do, or before any work is done. Legitimate services explain fees clearly and usually work on contingency (a percentage of what’s recovered) or charge only after delivering something concrete.
• They “guarantee” you’ll get money. Nobody can promise an outcome — eligibility is decided by the county or court office, not by any company. A promise of certain recovery is a lie.
• They claim to be a government agency — or use names, seals, or letterhead designed to look like one. Real government offices don’t hire telemarketers to chase you.
• They pressure you to decide immediately — “sign today or the money disappears.” Real deadlines are measured in months or years, and they’re set by law, not by a salesperson’s quota.
• They ask you to sign over your deed or your claim without clearly explaining what you’re giving up. Never sign away rights you don’t understand.
• They tell you not to talk to your lender, a counselor, or a lawyer. Anyone who wants you isolated wants you controllable.
• They contact you with details only to demand secrecy — “don’t tell anyone about this money.” There’s no legitimate reason for secrecy around a public record.

Green flags — signs of someone legitimate

• They explain the process in plain language and encourage you to verify everything with the county office yourself.
• Fees (if any) are in writing, understandable, and tied to actual work or results.
• They give you time to think and put nothing high-pressure in front of you.
• They have a real business identity — a verifiable address, a working phone number, and a reputation you can check.

How we hold ourselves to this

• Our name search is free — we never charge to check.
• We never promise outcomes. A possible match is not proof of entitlement.
• We are an independent research company, not a government agency, and we say so on every page.
• We never sell personal data.

If you think you’ve been targeted

• Don’t send money or sign anything. It’s okay to simply hang up or stop replying.
• Report it to your state attorney general’s consumer protection division and to the FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov).
• Tell us too — contact us if someone is misusing our name.