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Letter To The Editor
Author: Mike Lohman

Old Baldy Adult Education had a class to recognize scams, given by someone familiar to the readers of this paper. Consider this a partial recap of that class.

Did you receive an envelope with perforations on the right side? It seems my Home Warranty policy is in danger of expiring [or already has]. The letter says I only have until 8/13/2026 to decide, so I’d better do something fast.

STOP! Look at the envelope - where’s the return address? It’s just a plain white envelope. Does it establish a sense of heightened urgency, limiting your time to think about it? If it were my current Home Warranty people, wouldn’t they know whether it’s expired and send it with their own stationery? And home warranties are optional. Only insurance is required by my mortgage lender. My letter didn’t even have a company name, just a departmental name. They even had the Home Warranty ID card included titled as HOME PROTECTION IDENTIFICATION CARD. It’s like naming your dog, “Dog.” Who really sent this future birdcage liner?

The letter also says this unnamed company can decide to revoke my eligibility after the expiration date, for which I had no home inspection. Say it isn’t so. Oh wait, there’s a telephone number – must be legitimate. Nope, I can create phone numbers on the fly now thanks to VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) services almost as easily as I can be called from one.

A pound of creative scammers is often outwitted by an ounce of common sense. If you didn’t ask for the information, treat it at best as suspect. If you get something “official” looking from anywhere, like your bank, car dealership, the state (or the feds), find the contact information on your original paperwork, or if you can’t, drop by and see them. Do not use the enclosed contact information or you will be scammed. Talk this up too, as some people may not be as alert to these things; plus, you’ll be doing your community a service.

Thanks for reading my letter, and have a good day.

Mike Lohman

Townsend, MT