Property Fraud is the fastest-growing white-collar crime in the United States. I recently received an email from Europe, some of the contents of which I would like to share with you.
The owner, of a property in Cape Coral, received a letter confirming that she had sold her property.
Here's the problem: She had never listed the property, nor had she ever signed a contract or the transfer deed, let alone received the money. She called in a detective who found out that "someone" was impersonating her and hired a REALTOR who was ok never to speak to the seller and e-signed the sales order and accepted the signature online. The REALTOR also quickly "found" a buyer since, as you can imagine, it was underpriced on the market. The buyer worked with a local construction company, and they also handled the contract (their Title Company). By the time the owner received the letter from LEEPA, some time had passed and the now "supposed" new owner had already started construction. Legally, the property with everything on or connected to it (i.e., including the new construction that has begun) belongs to the actual owner, but it will take some time for all of this to be resolved.
Surely you ask yourself, why am I telling you there? The reason is simple, I would strongly suggest that you register with LeeClerk Property Fraud Alert so that you can be notified immediately and not have to fight for months to get your property back.
Please contact me if you have any questions.