Saturday, May 23, 2009

Scammers Putting Bogus Chinese Drywall Notices On Vacant Homes In Foreclosure To Drive Down Prices At SW Florida Courthouse Sales?

In Cape Coral, Florida, WINK News reports:
  • A mystery in Cape Coral. Notices, warning of Chinese drywall, are popping up on vacant homes in the city. The catch: The warnings are fake! The yellow notices claim to be from the Department of Health, and say the home has been inspected and contains Chinese drywall. Many of the homes are in foreclosure.

  • The Lee County Health Department first learned of the fraud from a home inspector and a realtor. They say no health agency within the county or state does these types of inspections.

  • Why would someone post fake notices? Local realtor Ron Martin with Sun Realty has a theory. He's seen several of the notices on properties over the past few days. "There seems to be a common theme to the ones I've seen and that is that they're all scheduled to be auctioned at the courthouse within 48 hours," said Martin. "One would have to suspect that someone is trying to discourage competition."

  • Posting these fake notices is a crime, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Cape Coral Police Department or call 1-866-9-NO SCAM.

Source: Fake Chinese drywall notices! (Fake Chinese drywall notices on homes in Cape Coral).

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