hoping this is just a scam

[Dznypal]

Today my parents get a letter from Peter Francis Geraci saying they were being sued by bank of america!!!!!

My parents are both in their 80s my dad is 87 and has some health issues but for themost part hes doing fine--

my mom is 83 and still worked up until last yr and is real sharp!!

yet is letter pretty much scared them--they have nor did they ever have any doings with bank of america or PFG for that matter

I tried doing some research under PFG and bank of america looking is see if there were anything about scams but I couldnt find anything like this

so this letter also had a case #

this sounds like a scam to me but Id like to find out for sure

any ideas on what I could look up--

or would it be a good idea to call someone Bank of america maybe?
I dont want to call and open up a can of worms
or would it be better to just forget it

any help would be greatly appreicated

thanks all

 

[minkydog]

Today my parents get a letter from Peter Francis Geraci saying they were being sued by bank of america!!!!!

My parents are both in their 80s my dad is 87 and has some health issues but for themost part hes doing fine--

my mom is 83 and still worked up until last yr and is real sharp!!

yet is letter pretty much scared them--they have nor did they ever have any doings with bank of america or PFG for that matter

I tried doing some research under PFG and bank of america looking is see if there were anything about scams but I couldnt find anything like this

so this letter also had a case #

this sounds like a scam to me but Id like to find out for sure

any ideas on what I could look up--

or would it be a good idea to call someone Bank of america maybe?
I dont want to call and open up a can of worms
or would it be better to just forget it

any help would be greatly appreicated

thanks all

I would absolutely call Bank of America! They should be able to tell you in short order if there is any validity to the letter. And if there isn't, you need to report it to your local postmaster. Now if it came by email, i can guarantee you it's a scam. Legit banks don't use email to inform you of important stuff. just don't let your parents give out their social security numbers or any bank account info.

 

[luvmy3]

Today my parents get a letter from Peter Francis Geraci saying they were being sued by bank of america!!!!!

My parents are both in their 80s my dad is 87 and has some health issues but for themost part hes doing fine--

my mom is 83 and still worked up until last yr and is real sharp!!

yet is letter pretty much scared them--they have nor did they ever have any doings with bank of america or PFG for that matter

I tried doing some research under PFG and bank of america looking is see if there were anything about scams but I couldnt find anything like this

so this letter also had a case #

this sounds like a scam to me but Id like to find out for sure

any ideas on what I could look up--

or would it be a good idea to call someone Bank of america maybe?
I dont want to call and open up a can of worms
or would it be better to just forget it

any help would be greatly appreicated

thanks all

If it is legit, then you wouldn't be opening a can of worms, and forgetting about it could get them into more trouble. I'd call BOA and see what they have to say. Be sure to call them using a phone number that is not listed on that letter.

 

[aejammers]

Why don't you call Peter Francis Geraci's office directly and see what they say? He seems to be a legitimate lawyer in Chicago. I'm sure if this is a scam they would like to know that someone is using his name like this.

 

[tvguy]

If it's a letter, I suspect a scam. If it's a summons, it's legit.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

Sometimes lawyers do send letters beforr filing suit. Could be legit. Could be a scam. Check it out to be sure.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

And keep us updated if you don't mind

 

[Scornelius]

If they've never done business with that bank, what can of worms could possibly be opened? Other than a scam being uncovered, and I can't imagine why that would be a bad thing?

 

[marmalade]

I would call, it could be something as simple as the same name but wrong party.

 

[fall08CP]

Why don't you call Peter Francis Geraci's office directly and see what they say? He seems to be a legitimate lawyer in Chicago. I'm sure if this is a scam they would like to know that someone is using his name like this.

Was wondering why that name sounded familiar- he does commercials on our local TV! I can even recall his tone of voice. Yes, he's a lawyer in Chicago that deals with bankruptcy.

 

[Colleen27]

Your best bet would be to contact BoA directly, at a contact number you get from their corporate website rather than from the letter. Although they might not want to give any information on something that has been referred to legal counsel, they should at least be able to tell you if there is an active collection effort.

It would also be wise to contact the lawyer's office, since he does appear to be legitimate, again obtaining a number from his website rather than trusting anything contained in that letter.

And finally, have your parents pull their credit reports ASAP. If they're getting mail from a bankruptcy attorney, it is possible it is due to identity theft/debts accrued by someone else using one of their social security numbers. Scammers tend to target children and the elderly because it takes longer for something to send up a red flag to people not in the credit-opening stage of life. The letter could be a first-line effort - scare people into calling the provided number, at which point they have to provide SS#, date of birth, and other personal info to verify their identity/retrieve the file and voila, the thief has all the info he needs - but it could also be a consequence of a previously-undetected problem if someone did open an account in their name(s) that has now gone to collections.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

This sound fishy. PFG has all those commercials for "If you took ABC and had XYZ happen, you may be eligible for money" and all the bankruptcy commercials. He comes across as an ambulance chaser. I highly doubt BoA would be using his services for collections.

 

[Dznypal]

I called BOA and talked to a very nice lady who was as confused as I was

she told me to call PFG--she also said not to give them any personal information--which I wasnt planning on

when I called they reminded me of a loan shark!!!!

the only # I had was a case # that was on the letter--that didnt work and I wasnt about to give them my parents name so then the girl asked if I wanted to talk to a manager so a guy comes on the line and he tells me that they get their info from a court website--we have a court site that you can put in names and it will tell you if theres any court dealings on them--

I still was rather upset since they had no business contacting my parents-
so this call did not go well and yes another name for them would be ambulance chasers!!!!

So I get home from work and go the website and lo and behold theres my parents name

along with BOA and a lady-she was married when they lived there that used to live in an apt building my parents owned--it was a 32 unit place--and bought the building from my parents it must be aleast 20 yrs ago!!!

So I told my mom she better call BOA I knew they wouldnt talk to me since my name isnt listed--Im waiting for her to call back!!!

I still dont have an idea what this is about though like I said they paid the loan off for the apt along time ago

this is really getting scary--why werent my parents notified by some attorney

they for sure didnt call PFG!!!

next update as soon as it comes in

 

[Robbi]

After 20 years, it seems like the case would not be valid. Here, people have 1 year to file.
Probably what happened is that this company bought bad loans from BoA for pennies on the dollar. They then turn around and try to collect old debts. Some people will pay without question and they will end up getting their money back and then some.
If she defaulted on the loan, they can't hold your parents responsible unless they cosigned and then again, it was 20 years ago!

 

[Lorelei Lee]

OPI'm not sure exactly what role your parents have in this, other than that they are named as parties in the litigation and that it involves the bank, some property they sold 20 years ago and the person who purchased the property. You can probably get copies of the court documents from the court clerk. We can sit here and speculate all day as to ehy your parents are named in the suit, but until you hear details from the bank and see the court papers, it's just speculation.



Robbi, you may want to reconsider your response. If I cosign a loan, and the borrower faithfully makes payment for 19 years, then stops paying in year 20,, I may be on the hook for the balance. The bank's time to sue me doesn't start to run until the borrower defaults.

 

[Jestocost]

The attorney in question (PFG) represents individuals in bankruptcy cases and other actions; not corporations. My guess that they troll the court files looking for potential clients and what they want is for your parents to hire them to fight B of A or whoever is involved in the court case. I can't see that his firm would be representing B of A or any bank in a case against an individual.

 

[2binak]

So I told my mom she better call BOA I knew they wouldnt talk to me since my name isnt listed--Im waiting for her to call back!!!

BofA will most likely talk to you if your mom is on the phone first and tells them to talk with you. I've done this a couple of times with an elderly family member who doesn't hear well. They tell the bank employee that they have hearing issues and that they need me to help them. Good luck to your parents I hope they get this resolved quickly.

 

[tvguy]

So I get home from work and go the website and lo and behold theres my parents name

That website should indicate when this was filed. It could be a case from 20 years ago that has long been resolved.