Articles – Real Estate Deeds Made Easy Since 1997
Some years back, the state of Georgia, under the Georgia Code (GA § 44-2-43), made stealing houses by recording fraudulent or counterfeit real estate deeds a felony, incurring 1-10 years in prison. Witnesses who help perpetrate Georgia deed fraud are subject to the same potential penalties. Georgia is not alone in its resolve. The FBI …
Continue reading “Real Estate Law Enforcement: Catching Up to Deed Fraudsters”
Deed fraud infects cities and counties all over the United States. This kind of fraud involves forging a deed, impersonating someone who holds a title to a home, or falsely authorizing a transfer of real estate ownership. It’s essentially a home-stealing scheme. Now, lawmakers are taking action to make life harder for deed thieves. In …
Well-known schemes are being repackaged for the time of COVID-19. Here’s an overview of how real estate fraudsters are approaching their targets — and how to avoid becoming one. Scams flare up during natural disasters and financial crises, so we can expect a spike in deed fraud in 2020 and beyond. Battered by the pandemic, …
Continue reading “Viral Fraud: More Deed Crime Targets in the Coronavirus Economy”
Quitclaim deeds show up commonly in fraudulent real estate transactions. This type of deed fraud can impact elderly people, buyers purchasing real estate from strangers without warranty, renters who are paying someone who is not a legitimate owner, and anyone involved who might buy, sell, or own property. Here, we examine how it happens and …
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Georgia’s House of Representatives has unanimously passed a bill cracking down on people who steal houses by recording fraudulent real estate deeds. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Tom Kirby and co-sponsored by Rep. Ed Lindsey. House Bill 985 would protect all Georgia homeowners from those who file fake deeds. The bill also makes filing, …
Continue reading “Georgia Bill Making Filing Fraudulent Deeds a Felony”
Delaware County (“Delco” to the locals) is home to more than a half-million residents, making it Pennsylvania’s 5th most populated county. It borders the southwest edge of Philadelphia. It’s a little bit country, a little bit urban. It includes scenic Ridley Creek State Park. Several universities stand at least partly within it: Cheyney, Villanova, and …
Continue reading “Deed Records Go Digital: Getting Up to Speed in Delaware County, PA”
The Register of Deeds of Shelby County, Tennessee recently took to a live television newscast to warn the public about scammers scouring funeral listings and obituaries. They’re looking for dead people whose homes they can steal. They forge deeds. They record bogus title transfers. Once they have control over their ill-gotten homes, criminals sell them, …
Continue reading “Register of Deeds Blasts Crooks Who Steal Homes Out From Under Owners’ Funerals”
No one wants to fall prey to scam artists. Better guidance from real estate agents would be a big help. After all, a staggering fifth of fraudulent money transfer requests pretend to be coming from real estate professionals. So, why aren’t clients getting stronger warnings?
Real estate transactions involve large money transfers. Creative swindlers love those. And now, progress in artificial intelligence (AI) brings new opportunities for real estate fraud. Shady actors are using real people’s voice or image samples to create recordings and persuade buyers and sellers to respond to questions with key information. Then the scammers hijack the …
Continue reading “Now It’s the Deepfakes. Protect Deeds and Accounts From AI-Generated Imposters”
Blockchain, the underlying technology of cryptocurrency, is a digital recording system, leading innovators to wonder if it could solve challenges in deed recording. The U.S. deed recording system is tried and true. At the same time, title defects and tangled titles are much too common. Additionally, deed fraud harms vulnerable homeowners.. What if our title …