Scammers selling individuals’ homes without their consent is on the rise.

Did you know that it is possible for someone to sell your home or property without your knowledge or consent? The new “owner,” who paid the scammer for your home, then shows up and expects you to be gone or to move out. They might even try to evict you! In another variation the crooks use fake ownership documents as collateral to take out a bank loan against your property. They don’t pay the loan back, of course, so the bank starts foreclosure measures. Whatever happens, you end up in a legal quagmire and, worst case scenario, you lose your home. This horror scenario is happening more and more often these days in South Florida and across the country.

Here’s how the crime typically works:
1. The crook obtains personal information about you, such as your name, address, and property details. This is public information and is easily accessible.
2. Next, they create a fake deed or other property ownership documents with your forged signature.
3. The fraudster then files the deed with the local land registry office, transferring ownership of the property to themselves or a third party. In Palm Beach County, they do so at the Clerk & Comptroller’s office.
4. With the new ownership documents in hand, the fraudster sells the property to an unsuspecting buyer.
5. Once the sale is complete, they disappear with the proceeds, leaving the legitimate property owner with no knowledge of the fraudulent activity until it’s too late, and the new “buyer” out the money they paid for it.

Warning: Beware of “Too good to be true” prices.

Why can’t your title company protect you?

Title companies cannot prevent real estate deed fraud because they don’t have the authority to verify the authenticity of documents, verify the identity of the parties involved, or detect fraudulent activities.

Take the following steps in Palm Beach County to protect yourself (most other counties in Florida offer a similar service):
Sign up for the free property fraud alert service in Palm Beach County. Go to erec.mypalmbeachclerk.com/FraudAlert.

Here’s how it works:
1. If a document is recorded that matches your monitoring criteria, you will receive an alert within 48 hours of a deed being filed.
2. The alert will provide you with the document type, Clerk’s File Number or CFN, and book and page number.
3. The alert will also include a link to view the actual document on the online Official Records website.