What's up with mortgage telemarketers?

[LizW]

We really had gotten to the point where we got very few telemarketing calls in the last 6 months or so. Every so often there would be a call from a local carpet cleaner or air conditioning service company. Even the satellite tv installers had stopped after I threatened to sue them.

But, damn, in the last two weeks or so, we have had literally dozens of calls from mortgage lenders! And we don't have a mortgage! Our house has been paid for for years!

Is this happening to anyone else? How did we suddenly get on EVERYONE'S call list? It's really pissing me off. I hate telemarketers with a passion.

I'm suspicious that it has something to do with Home Depot. We've been doing a lot of painting, carpeting and flooring in our house, and we bought a bunch of stuff there. (I know, I hate it, but they were really the only option.) I wonder if they sold my name. It's just so coincidental that this starts right after I spent a bunch of money on home improvement stuff.

[Webster Green]

1. I'm getting them in my e-mail....

Constantly. Telling me my mortgage has been approved. I haven't applied for one, and my credit is in the shitter. I can't imagine what they are after.

[Raven]

2. Here is how it works...

at least this is one way...they have people doing research at the local registries of deeds. They find your deed to your house on record and then they find that you don't have a mortgage because there is no mortgage on record. They realize that you probably have a huge amount of equity in your house. You are a perfect target.

I am on the state and national no call list. That doesn't stop some of these people from calling but, when they do I ask for their name, the name of the company and then I tell them that I'm on the no call list and that I'm going to report them. They usually hang up and never call again.

[Heddi]

3. We get those calls, and the funny thing is

WE RENT!

It's great. I got a call a few weeks ago from this guy who wanted to talk to me about getting a new mortgage on the property I own. SO I said "What property are you talking about?" And he says "Well, the property that you own, of course" and I said "Well, that's funny because I don't own any property"

"Sure you do"

"Uh, no I don't"

"Ma'am. You're a home-owner. HOmes are considered property"

"why do you think I'm a home-owner?"

"We have you on our list"

"Well, your list is wrong. I'm a renter. I own nothing. I'm poor, ugly, smell bad, and I attract roaches like a pound of rotting bacon. I have noisy kids who shit all over the place and my husband isn't toilet trained and I have no use for changing his diapers so I just let him sit and fester for days at a time"

---at this point I was just making up really assinine things to get him off the phone. I get bored and like to play with the people who disregard the Do Not Call List. I was hoping he'd hang up...instead, I got:

"Well! So you're looking to be a first-time homebuyer! This is great! We have a ton of zero-down and other financing plans that would suit you and your growing family....if you hold on, I can let you know what our rates are today......"

~click~ (that was me hanging up the phone, btw)

[coloradodem2005]

4. I did that for about 3 weeks.

I got let go for not getting a loan. I don't know what it is but the only jobs out there seem to be solicitation. But, I couldn't stand doing that. It feels so sleazy.