We recently received a phone call from a company called “Franklin Financial” about our home that was listed as being in foreclosure. Things that tipped us off were, we have no mortgages/loans/credit cards or any sort of financial dealings with any company called Franklin Financial. Second, we make all of our payments on time (early even!), so anyone claiming that we’d defaulted on a loan with be incorrect at best. The call was very brief, after telling them they must be mistaken we hung up.
This got me to thinking, they are probably looking to scam folks. The caller ID listed the phone number at (410) 612-8139. A quick search on Google indicated someone else caught the same call. I called the number back to see what the answering service said was the name of the company. The recording says the name too fast for me to be sure, I think it’s something like WestArm. The address was a bit slower though: 626 Towne Center Drive, Joppa, MD. A few more minutes of searching turned up:
http://articles.directorym.net/NeighborWorks_Mortgages_and_Loan_Education_Joppa_MD-r944076-Joppa_MD.html
Premier Mortgage Funding Inc
(410) 612-8139
626 Towne Center Dr
Joppa, MD
Hard to know for sure if this is the same Premier Mortgage Funding Inc that filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, but that’s one more reason to raise the red flag. It’s possible that Franklin Financial is this same Premier Mortgage Funding company under a new name.
Bottom line, if you get a phone call from an institution that you don’t do business with asking to help you with your property that’s in default, don’t give them any information! Even if the person on the other end of the phone claims to be from your bank or mortgage holder, don’t give them any information. Indicate that you’ll call your bank back to verify the request.