Oregon Cops Seek Suspect In Alleged "Mortgage Watchdog" Scam

In White City, Oregon, the Mail Tribune reports:

• Police are asking the public to be aware of a man involved in a mortgage scam that has cost at least one White City resident $300 and opened her up to identity theft. A White City woman was approached recently by a man claiming to work for a mortgage "watchdog" group. The suspect said he could look over mortgage paperwork to spot potential errors that could save the buyer thousands of dollars, Jackson County Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan said. "He charges a $300 fee for this bogus service," Fagan said. "Also, he takes the paperwork with him and does not return."

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• Mortgage paperwork gives a criminal a wealth of financial information that could be used to drain a bank account or open credit cards in the victim's name, Fagan said. "Mortgage papers contain your social security number, full name and date of birth," Fagan said. "That's all an identity thief needs to get started. People under foreclosure are vulnerable to begin with and this is the last thing they need." Police believe the suspect is Bart Arthur Blahosky, 50, who has a long history of fraud spread over Utah, Nevada and Idaho. "Our victim said he was dressed very nicely and sounded like a lawyer," Fagan said.

For more, see Mortgage scam is front for identity theft (Medford police believe they have an identified suspect, but he remains at large).

For story update, see: More victims surface in 'mortgage watchdog' scam (Suspect poses as a mortgage watchdog, then acquires information for identity theft, sheriff's deputies say).