Tag: quitclaim deed fraud
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The Best Laws Against Deed Theft: How Does Your State Rank?
For those concerned about where deed theft is taken most seriously under the laws, the data security firm EquityProtect has the facts. The company’s new Property Protection Scorecard sums up the current status of each of the 50 states and Washington, DC. The equityprotect.com/scorecard webpage ranks states using five tiers. Tier 1 shows the…
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Tennessee Deed Fraud Law Update
If you hang your hat in Tennessee, watch out for a potential law that changes the way deeds are submitted and verified. Somebody nearly stole Elvis Presley’s Graceland home in Memphis through deed fraud. Brent Taylor, a Republican State Senator in Memphis, says such activity is what lawmakers want to “put a stop to.” When…
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Next? Rhode Island Is Now Proposing a Law to Stop Impersonators From Recording Deeds
A new law has been introduced in Rhode Island. If enacted, it will require anyone recording a deed to show government-issued photo ID. County officials would gain the authority to delay recording, or report a suspicious document to law enforcement. The point? To deter would-be fraudsters attempting to take over people’s properties. Deed theft typically…
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End Deed Fraud! Florida Tests ID Rule, California Requires Alerts
Real estate prices keep rising. A home title is increasingly valuable. For people who specialize in deed fraud, deed records might as well be pots of gold. These smooth operators are on the lookout for properties they can control, sell, or use to obtain loan or rent money. What happened to the days when a…
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On the Rise: Deed Theft in New England
Can you imagine if someone faked a quitclaim deed and transferred your home out from under you? Years of steadily built-up equity, taken in one fell swoop. It does happen. New York has had to formally create a crime named “deed theft” to treat it with the seriousness it deserves—not just as forgery, but in…
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Will Louisville Make New Rules to Stop Quitclaim Fraud? The Question Is Now a Political Flashpoint
In Louisville, Kentucky, residents are demanding that officials create safeguards to prevent the recording of fraudulent deeds. Louisville is located in Jefferson County, the largest of the Kentucky counties. The county has been in the news over quitclaim deed fraud. In a recent, high-profile case, a con artist got away with transferring a deed out…
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Quitclaim Deed Fraud Spikes, Prompting Boston FBI Action and a New Law in Maine
In the real estate world, people continue to talk about an alert published by the Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Its April alert flagged a spike in the improper use of quitclaim deeds. Why the spike? Certainly more boomers are leaving their homes, making theft easier to carry out. And perhaps more…
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Ghoulish: Who Steals Deeds From the Dead?
In Houston, stealing deeds from dead people is a thing. Investigators are looking into a deed fraud scheme carried out by three people. These people allegedly laundered deeds of dead homeowners through their limited liability companies. Then they sold the homes to unsuspecting buyers. They’ve pulled in hundreds of thousands of dollars. “This is no…
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Modern Inconveniences: Remote Transactions and Deed Fraud
A CBS news outlet says online swindlers are “overwhelming county deed offices” throughout the state of Maine. Worse, it’s left targeted title owners scrambling to recover their properties. Many are forced to take their cases to the courts for quiet title actions. A senior FBI agent in Maine, Christopher Peavey, spoke with CBS Channel 13…
