When Local 6 viewer Kathy Berg opened her email messages a few weeks ago she couldn’t believe the alert she was reading.
[WEB EXTRA:How to check licenses]
“It says urgent notice of eviction…” Berg reads aloud.
The message is the latest in a deluge of notices presented as legitimate alerts from banks, creditors, down and out soldiers, and now a real estate agency eviction alert signed by Olivia Tailor.
Orlando attorney David Mallen handles eviction procedures in Orange County and says the whole thing is designed to get a panic reaction.
“This is not a court proceeding in any way shape or form this is just (designed) to trick people into thinking this is important," Mallen said.
One look at the signature on Berg’s so called eviction email and Mallen says he knew it was a fake.
To be sure, Mallen checked the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation website.
Olivia Tailor does not hold a real estate license in the State of Florida. In fact, from what Local 6 could tell she doesn’t exist.
Berg went public with this email eviction scam because she doesn’t want anyone to fall for it.
Local 6 has learned the link attached to the email is a zip file that actually opens a malware virus that can infiltrate your computer in seconds.
There have been variations of this malware scam reported in Central Florida and across the country.
Mallen says he’s seen this sort of thing before, in fact, his own office recently was hit with an email containing a malware virus.
He says once the computer was hit he received a message asking for $2000 to clear the system.
Berg never opened the link but she’s afraid someone will fall for it.
“They’re plenty of people in my neighborhood that are in foreclosure , it’s just a fact of life," she says. “This is unique, it’s new I’ve never seen one like this and like I say I get them all the time.”
To check a license of someone claiming to represent a Florida creditor bank or any business go to MyFloridaLicense.com, click verify a license in the top row of options, then type in the name. Reported by Click Orlando 4 minutes ago.
[WEB EXTRA:How to check licenses]
“It says urgent notice of eviction…” Berg reads aloud.
The message is the latest in a deluge of notices presented as legitimate alerts from banks, creditors, down and out soldiers, and now a real estate agency eviction alert signed by Olivia Tailor.
Orlando attorney David Mallen handles eviction procedures in Orange County and says the whole thing is designed to get a panic reaction.
“This is not a court proceeding in any way shape or form this is just (designed) to trick people into thinking this is important," Mallen said.
One look at the signature on Berg’s so called eviction email and Mallen says he knew it was a fake.
To be sure, Mallen checked the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation website.
Olivia Tailor does not hold a real estate license in the State of Florida. In fact, from what Local 6 could tell she doesn’t exist.
Berg went public with this email eviction scam because she doesn’t want anyone to fall for it.
Local 6 has learned the link attached to the email is a zip file that actually opens a malware virus that can infiltrate your computer in seconds.
There have been variations of this malware scam reported in Central Florida and across the country.
Mallen says he’s seen this sort of thing before, in fact, his own office recently was hit with an email containing a malware virus.
He says once the computer was hit he received a message asking for $2000 to clear the system.
Berg never opened the link but she’s afraid someone will fall for it.
“They’re plenty of people in my neighborhood that are in foreclosure , it’s just a fact of life," she says. “This is unique, it’s new I’ve never seen one like this and like I say I get them all the time.”
To check a license of someone claiming to represent a Florida creditor bank or any business go to MyFloridaLicense.com, click verify a license in the top row of options, then type in the name. Reported by Click Orlando 4 minutes ago.