In parts I and II of “The Underbelly of an Online Listing Provider,” Foreclosure Research set out to uncover the truth behind Foreclosure Store’s deceptive façade. Beyond duplicitous listings and charging methods, every factor of the company seems to be wrought with deceptive or unethical tactics.

Take the sign-up page for the free trial for example. At meets the eye, it looks incredibly similar to a competing foreclosure listing site, Foreclosure.com (See photos 1 and 2). The layout and styles are the same and even the text is copied verbatim. In this case, based on further investigation, the original sign-up page belongs to Foreclosure.com, making Foreclosure Store the copyright infringe r.

ForeclosureStore.com Sign Up Page

Foreclosure.com Sign Up Page

Upon further review of the sign-up page on Foreclosure Store are icons from various high-caliber news journals, such as the New York Times, USA Today, Fox News, and many more. There also appears to be a quote from the New York Times.

While there was in fact an article that mentioned Foreclosure Store, it was much different than the quote offered on the site and on the sign-up page.

The New York Times article, which actually was a Q&A editorial, was published October 27, 1996. The blurb offered some foreclosure advice to a reader who was referencing “Final List Services” as just one site that offers a foreclosure list. Whether or not Foreclosure Store is actually “Final List Services” is never mentioned, however, Foreclosure Store seems to say it is based on the insertion of their name into the direct quote.

Below you will find the quotes from the New York Times and the edited quote that appears on the Foreclosure Store Web site.

New York Times: “Final List Services and other companies gather lists of various properties owned by various organizations and then offer their list to the public for a fee,”

Foreclosure Store (Foreclosure World/Final List Services, etc.): “Foreclosure World gathers lists of properties owned by thousands of banks and other mortgage companies, sorts and compiles them into state and county directories, then offers their lists to investors and the public for a small fee,”

Note that the quote was obviously edited to the favor of Foreclosure Store, yet quotation marks indicating a direct quote are still improperly utilized. Below you will find additional false quotes.

New York Times: “People can either purchase lists from the companies or contact the banks directly,” he said, explaining that the fee charged by such companies is usually limited to the charge for the list itself.

Foreclosure Store: “you can purchase comprehensive directories from Foreclosure World or you can try contacting individual banks. However, many will not deal directly with the public and many also charge a fee for their lists. In any event, the fees charged are limited to the cost of the directories, not any commissions.”

It is no surprise that this New York Times blurb has been the only reference to Foreclosure Store, or any of its aliases, for over 10 years. Keep your eyes peeled for future references of Foreclosure Store as Foreclosure Research is confident the subject matter will be to the beat of a different tune, and Foreclosure Store will have lot of whiting out to do.