Current Owner

A house owned by one person may be sold by someone else who does not own the property and has a legal claim against it.

Due to instances of fraud, a person may discover that their home is no longer in their possession. When the current occupant is still present at the property, another individual, couple, or family may attempt to move in. The perpetrator of fraud may, in some cases, steal personal information through online access or in person with other scams. The owner may lose access to the property until the issue is resolved due to these issues. The house that was sold then goes to someone else until it is legally bought back.

As a result of theft crimes, a person will lose ownership while the fraud of stealing title interests and deed documents occurs. Most of the time, the person who does these things needs to know a lot about real estate and how these legal documents work. The perpetrator will frequently either be employed by a real estate company or have previous experience working with these professionals in order to evade the current owner and conceal the transaction. The owner could face serious issues as a result of the sale, even though it is still illegal.

When a property is purchased online with a deed that either doesn’t exist or isn’t legal, it may take some time to figure out who did it and fix the damage. The new buyer might get the title, but if the property is sold by someone who doesn’t actually own it, it’s fraud and an illegal sale. Typically, a state investigator is involved in these cases. However, clearing up confusion and undoing these schemes might take years. Reversing the outcome of the sale is almost as important as stopping the offender.

Unless the seller purchased the house at some point and only sold a portion of it, the seller has no interest in the property. However, this would not grant the individual full ownership, and any sale in which there is no interest is invalid. In addition, real estate fraud is punishable by both civil and criminal penalties. The buyer would also have no legal interest in the house, and the seller has no claim to ownership of the property. In these circumstances, attempting to validate the title or deed may result in the initial real estate fraud investigation.

Sadly, it is much simpler to fraudulently sign a deed than to deal with all of the paperwork associated with mortgage financing.

The fraudster selects a house that is not the owner’s primary residence to begin the scheme. Typically, it can be a vacant vacation home, rental unit, second home, or other property.

The con artist uses the owner’s personal information, which they got from the internet or somewhere else, after choosing the property. In order to conclude the fraud, the con artist either claims to be the owner or assumes their identity.

As a result, fraudsters transfer ownership of the property to themselves by using fake IDs and forged signatures at the county register of deeds. The criminal can then steal the home’s equity by borrowing money against it or sell it.

If someone has taken the title or deed to your property, they have been able to pretend to be you and transfer ownership to someone else. They might borrow against the equity you’ve built up in the property in the process, which is one reason elderly people are common victims. Additionally, a thief may have an even easier time acquiring the property if there is no existing loan on it.

Sadly, homeowners who own a property that is not their primary residence frequently neglect to check the bills and tax paperwork that comes in each month or year. Because of this lack of attention, fraudsters may be able to sneak in and alter the title before the owners even notice any suspicious activity.

The worst-case scenario is when criminals use a fake home title to sell the property to unsuspecting buyers without the real owner’s knowledge or permission. This results in a number of victims: the buyer, the actual owner of the property, and possibly even the lender or bank.

With any one of our subscription plans, you will be able to see if there have been any changes to the ownership records your home.