Virginia’s Bureau of Insurance is warning consumers to avoid a New York-based seller of home warranty products that has been the subject of orders and lawsuits by other state officials.

The bureau, under the oversight of the State Corporation Commission, issued a consumer warning against National Home Protection Inc. of New York City, which it penalized earlier this year for $25,000 and ordered to stop operating in the state as a home protection insurance company without a license.

National Home Protection offers contracts nationwide through its website, and despite a “cease and desist order” in Virginia, homeowners should be aware that they are unlicensed to operate in the state. State insurance law regulates both home protection insurance contracts and home service contracts, which provide coverage for the repair, replacement, or maintenance of a system or appliance that becomes inoperable.

National Home Protection is the subject of suits by the attorneys general in New York and Texas, and faced “cease and desist” orders by state insurance departments, including those in Arizona and Oklahoma, which also fined the company $25,000 for ignoring the order.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sued the company and its three principals in April, alleging they defrauded consumers in his state and nationwide out of thousands of dollars.

“This company denied homeowners’ legitimate claims, deceived consumers with false advertising, and ultimately ripped off customers who paid good money to protect their investment,” said Cuomo in a statement. “This was an ongoing fraud that systemically cheated consumers across this country.”

Virginia’s Bureau of Insurance is warning consumers in that state that any contact by and unlicensed company, such as National Home Protection, could lack certain coverages required by state law and the company may be unresponsive to bureau requests regarding complaints by consumers.