User blog:Timebomb192potato/WDCR Capitol News: Savannah from Loan Depot

WDCR-TV News Report - October 11, 2019


 * DAVE YARRANTON (male voice; Mid-Atlantic accent): Remember Rachel?
 * RACHEL (archival recording): Hello! This is Rachel at cardholder services...
 * DAVE: Now it's a friendly woman named Savannah, claiming to be from California-based mortgage provider Loan Depot, who's harassing us constantly.
 * SAVANNAH (archival recording): Hi, this is Savannah from Loan Depot with some great news regarding your recent mortgage refinance application!
 * DAN ALBONI (male voice; Virginia accent): She's always calling me saying "we are missing just a few pieces of critical information necessary to get you approved!" when in reality I never actually applied for a home loan of any sort.
 * DAVE: A few weeks ago, Dan Alboni of Mount Vernon Square told me he received around 20 Savannah calls, always telling him he applied for a mortgage refinance application.
 * DAN: It's always "Rates are still at historical lows and we help thousands of people every month save hundreds on their mortgage payment!"
 * DAVE: Worst part is that she often calls in the middle of the night when you are trying to get some sleep, which is incredibly annoying to many people in our area. Australian researcher Duncan O'Coinga of ScamWatch claims that this scheme is remarkably similar to the tactics used by a con artist going under the name of "Max Brown", calling people claiming they applied for a online data entry position they never even applied for. Call back the number provided in the Savannah message and you get a live operator who tries to sell you mortgage plans, O'Coinga says. We contacted Loan Depot and they have denied that "Savannah" represents them, and that they will look into the scam. So what should you do if you get the call? Hang up and block the number, or do as some online pranksters are doing, and try to waste their time. Dave Yarranton, WDCR Capitol News.