I want to share important information about deed fraud. You’ve worked hard to own a home, the last thing you need is someone to scam you and lose everything you’ve worked for. Here’s what you need to know.
What is it? In short, forged, false and/or fraudulently induced deeds are recorded against properties in California without the knowledge or consent of the owners.
Here’s how it works. A fraudster may forge a homeowner’s name on a quitclaim or another deed to a home. The deed is acknowledged and signed by a notary public (either legitimately based on false identification or illegitimately), and then recorded. This effectively transfers the property to the scammer without the knowledge of the true homeowner. The bad actor then obtains a mortgage loan on the home and uses the loan proceeds for his or her own use. The loan payments are not made and the home goes into foreclosure.
What can you do? Sounds pretty bad, right? We advise homeowners to do an annual title review on their property to avoid such scams. My trusted Title Representative, Michelle Lindgren, from Western Resources Title, is offering my clients a free and confidential property profile. This profile will show current liens or any recent title activity on your property. This is a complimentary service and requires little effort on your part aside from calling or emailing me to request your free report.
