Scam?

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Wisconsin

Someone has offered to pay off my mortgage and set up a trust fund for me. I don't know this person. How can I protect myself from being scammed, while leaving the door open for it if it's legitimate? They have asked for my mortgage account number (to be sent to their attorney). Could anything bad happen if I were to give them that information? How do I go about setting up a way for them to do this for me without setting myself up for trouble?

HHmm, somebody you did not solicit and don't know offered to pay off your mortgage and then set up some sort of trust.

Color me paranoid if you want but I think I would not be talking with those people.

I agree, it sounds like a scam. I suspect they will want you to pay "closing costs" and other various fees, like the Nigerian "you won a bazillion dollars" scams.

Go ahead and give them an account number (switch around a few digits so it's similar to a real account number) and see where it goes.

Or, you could simply tell them to correspond with your attorney. If you do that, you'll probably never hear from them again.

Just out of curiosity, how did this person contact you?

Why would you assume a person you don't know would take care of all of your debt?

I am guessing they will request a host of personal data so that they can "set it up".

DianaP63 said:

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Wisconsin

Someone has offered to pay off my mortgage and set up a trust fund for me. I don't know this person. How can I protect myself from being scammed, while leaving the door open for it if it's legitimate? They have asked for my mortgage account number (to be sent to their attorney). Could anything bad happen if I were to give them that information? How do I go about setting up a way for them to do this for me without setting myself up for trouble?

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Say thanks, but no thanks

It is a scam. Not maybe. Not if. Not probably. Is.

I can't believe any rational adult would be gullible enough to think there might even be a chance this is legitimate.

Forget trying to find a way to test them. If you're willing to believe there's even the smallest possibility this might be on the up-and-up, they're a lot smarter than you and they will find a way to get your money.

Well, I know the chances of it being a scam are a million to one, and I know they count on a person thinking "but, what if- there's that 1%", as I am. It makes you fear a later regret of finding out it was for real and you dismissed it as a scam.

I guess I want to have my cake and eat it too by allowing them a way to help me out but prevent them from scamming me, if that's what this is about. I just don't see how anyone could rip me off without any of my account numbers or personal information.

It was a Facebook friend of mine, who I don't know personally. I do know that Facebook allows for people to be anonymous and all things (and people) are not who or what they may seem to be.

The only personal information he has on me is my name. That's it. Not a phone number, not my loan #, not a SS#, not the name of my bank, nothing. Date of birth and my name are public info on my Facebook.

Thank you for your advice, everyone. And thank you for not being rude or anything about it.