Deed Fraud Archives - Page 2 of 3

July 12, 2023April 25, 2024

Quitclaim Forgery Is Snatching Florida Homes From Seniors and Dead People

Some people will steal their own mothers’ homes.

In a stunning case of deed fraud, a woman named Wanda donned a wig and pretended to be her own elderly mother, then tried to steal her home in Hillsborough County, Florida. A video recording shows Wanda using the Notarize computer-based notary service, signing a quitclaim deed. She signed her mother’s name to take the deed for herself.

In May 2023, the Tampa police apprehended Wanda on counts of forgery and elder exploitation.

A weird and unusual case, surely? Alas, there are quite a few deed scoundrels alive and well in Florida. The state is among the top three for identity theft, according to the 2022 figures from the Federal Trade Commission.

July 5, 2023April 25, 2024

“Deed Theft” Is a Crime, Says New York Legislature

Bill Passes, Awaits the Governor’s Signature

On June 24, 2023, New York’s lawmakers passed a bill to create the crime of deed theft and help New Yorkers hold onto their homes. The state’s Attorney General, Letitia James, has been vocal about the need for new legislation to help keep New Yorkers in their homes.

State Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assembly member Helene Weinstein sponsored the legislation. The lawmakers drafted it in direct collaboration with A.G. James herself.

“This legislation provides the Attorney General the tools needed to protect homeowners at risk of displacement,” A.G. James said in a press release, adding: “[W]e look forward to the Governor swiftly signing this bill into law.”

May 17, 2023April 25, 2024

New York’s Attorney General Gets Tougher on Deed Thieves

New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced a new package of legislation to create the specific crime of “deed theft.”

Deed theft occurs when someone conveys a property deed to another party without the informed consent of the rightful owner. The new law against it is meant to bolster the remedies available under New York’s real estate deed protection measures, and to make prosecution easier whenever New York state residents fall victim to shady deed shifting.

April 19, 2023April 25, 2024

In Long Island, New York: A Spectacular Case of Alleged Deed Theft

Nassau County, New York is known as America’s first suburban county. It’s an area with beautiful real estate, including the lovely Long Island home of Rosemarie Mika. This 78-year-old homeowner is now fighting for that lovely home — in a spectacular case of alleged deed theft.

It happened, the records show, on October 11 of last year. That’s the day the deed to the house apparently passed the title to a new owner, Aurelia Soogea, for only $10. The case made national and international news.

March 13, 2023April 25, 2024

In the News: Struggling and Elderly Homeowners Targeted by Deed Fakery

Imagine a licensed real estate broker — of all people — accused of taking other people’s homes and selling them.

Imagine someone deciding to fake a deed to steal the house of an elderly homeowner who’s ill and in a nursing home.

These are both real stories, now unfolding in Florida.

February 22, 2023April 25, 2024

Texas AG Investigates Home Title Lock

Do Anti-Fraud Companies Overhype Deed Theft?

The latest cyberthreat is home equity theft, warns the Home Title Lock company. “Are you already a victim?”

The company warns potential customers to “lock” their deeds, or they could be left homeless and mired in credit problems.

Now, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into Home Title Lock’s advertising.

February 15, 2023April 25, 2024

$199 Check From “County Deed Records”? Recognize Home Warranty Renewal Scams

Frauds and fakers commonly target homeowners for money. In one of the sleaziest schemes going on at the moment, a home warranty vendor is trying to get homeowners to sign up for its product.

What’s worse, the marketing letters don’t look like sales materials. They look like they come from the local recorder of deeds.

Counties in numerous states are warning their residents about these unsolicited and deceptive letters.

January 20, 2023April 25, 2024

Heirs, Protect the Seniors in Your Life From Deed Theft

A 91-year-old Floridian recently sent a payment to his insurer. Then the agent called to say the company wouldn’t be able to renew the homeowner’s policy. The deed had been transferred. The home was now legally owned by another person.

Some days later, from his bedroom, this shocked and disoriented senior heard three people come into the home. It seems the perpetrator was trying to sell the house. Fort Lauderdale police are investigating.

The swindled senior paid off the mortgage 15 years ago. Maybe that’s part of the issue. If there were a mortgage lien on the home, the mortgage company would have been alerted to the transfer. Plenty of elders live in homes with paid-off mortgages in Florida, and plenty of fraudulent schemes are targeting their increasingly valuable homes.

November 23, 2022April 25, 2024

New Fraud Fighter: The Good DEED Act

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 October 2022, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri, along with Rep. Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania, introduced H.R. 9192, the Good Documentation and Enforcement of Estate Deeds Act. The Good DEED Act, for short.

October 20, 2022April 25, 2024

Deed Scam Update: Fake Documents Transfer Dead Floridians’ Houses

In Daytona Beach, a suspect has pleaded “not guilty” to organized fraud. The crime involved two homes, stolen by deed fraud, with multiple notaries enlisted as part of the scheme.

The Volusia County, Florida suspect faces a first-degree felony charge, punishable by up to 30 years in prison. He is accused of creating fraudulent quitclaim deeds indicating that prior property owners (who are dead) had willingly transferred their homes.