CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Pam Schumacher opened her mail Tuesday just like any other day, and found a letter asking her to send $89 in exchange for the deed to her home.
“It’s $89. That’s $89 you can use for groceries or something,” said Schumacher. “We had just paid off everything, so we don’t owe anything. But I thought you never know. There was maybe a bill in there we didn’t see.”
But she knew something was off when she saw “LLC” after the words County Records Office, which is where the letter allegedly came from.
New homeowners were possibly targeted in Cape Coral. Once Schumacher posted the letter on Facebook, she learned neighbors got it too. And like Schumacher, they thought it looked real at first glance.
“I would’ve automatically written the check had I not read carefully, after questioning what is this?” Schumacher said.
Before she grabbed her checkbook. she called her realtor Brandon Reitz.
“The letter she received was more of a sales letter,” said Reitz.
He said real bills won’t say this, “You are under no obligation to make payments…unless you accept this offer.” That was in big bold letters above the payment options.
Reitz said homeowners can go to their local tax collector’s office and pay for a print out which is only a couple bucks. or…
“You can go online and get it for free,” he said.
Lee County homeowners can go leepa.org org, click property search, type in their address, click parcel details and select the date of purchase. The deed will show up, for free.
