Dr. Craig Adams, a homeowner in Raleigh, NC, is caught in a shocking case of deed fraud. His 8,300-square-foot home, despite being fully owned and occupied by Adams and his wife, has been transferred to a complete stranger through a fraudulent deed filed with the Wake County Register of Deeds.
Adams only became aware of the fraud after his HOA management company contacted him, asking if he had sold the home, as a woman named Dawn Mangum had requested gate access to the private community. Mangum had submitted paperwork to the Register of Deeds, falsely listing Adams as a debtor and transferring the title of the home to the "Dawn Mangum Trust."
Despite proving that Mangum had no legal claim to his property, Adams was told by the Register of Deeds that they were unable to reverse the fraudulent deed. "There's no effort to authenticate the validity of the change of deed. Nobody verifies the notary. Nobody verifies who owns the house that's trying to be transferred," Adams explained. The only option presented to him was to hire a private attorney and file a civil suit, a process that would cost him at least $8,000.
Emails from both the Register of Deeds and the Wake County Attorney expressed sympathy for Adams but confirmed that, under North Carolina law, they cannot remove a document once it is recorded. Registers of Deeds are not required to verify the legal sufficiency of the documents or the identity of the notary involved.
Adams described the situation as deeply concerning, not only for himself but for homeowners across the state. "The biggest concern is the citizens of Wake County are — we're so vulnerable! Anybody... could presumably take ownership of your house. It's that easy."
Mangum claimed she thought the property was in foreclosure and believed she was within her legal rights to claim it. She stated her intention was not to take anyone's home, but rather to restore abandoned properties. After learning the home was not in foreclosure, Mangum said she stopped all paperwork and expressed willingness to return ownership to Adams.
However, despite her claims, Adams will still need to hire an attorney and go through a lengthy court process to have the fraudulent deed reversed. His experience highlights a serious gap in protection for homeowners, as fraudulent filings like these can happen with minimal oversight. Adams hopes his ordeal will lead to changes in state law, pushing for more thorough checks to prevent this kind of deed fraud in the future.
As Adams noted, “The biggest thing that needs to happen is the laws from the state legislature need to come down to the register. (It) needs to have a simple set of checks and balances, authenticate the document, authenticate the signature, and authenticate who owns the home.”
The Wake County Sheriff’s Department is actively investigating the case.
Link: https://www.hometitlelock.com/articles/raleigh-homeowner-battles-deed-fraud-after-stranger-illegally-claims-ownership-of-his-property
