Missing name's picture

Stealing home: Dozens of Arizona houses fraudulently sold without owners’ knowledge

Arizona is seeing a rise in deed fraud schemes in which entire homes are sold out from under the rightful owners.

The state Attorney General’s Office said it has received dozens of complaints about properties being sold without the owners’ knowledge by unknown scammers who filed forged warranty deeds with the county recorder’s office.

The process for regaining ownership can be long and costly.

The main targets are houses without a mortgage that are vacant or used for vacation rentals, and the victims are usually corporations or out-of-state homeowners. It’s also happened to homes where the resident has recently died.

County recorder’s offices aren’t required to validate document signatures, and they don’t have the staffing or training to do so. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said that’s the kind of system weakness scammers see as an invitation.

“They are willing to risk committing a fraud, a fraud scheme or forgery in order to make money,” Brnovich told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Thursday.

“And so, this is something that crooks have been doing for generations, and prosecutors and law enforcement are always trying to stop as far as what is the next scheme, what is the next fraud.”

The losses can go beyond the cost of recovering ownership, Brnovich said.

“We heard a story where there was an elderly parent that lived in the home that had passed away, and before one of the siblings could clear the property out, the thieves had done this, and they basically took photo albums, all these lifetime of memories, and dumped them somewhere,” he said.

“And so, they lost something that, frankly, it’s not only the money, but sometimes things that are inside of that home that you can never recover again.”

This content has been reproduced from its original source.

Share This Article

More Articles

Loading...

Today's System Isn't Protecting You From Title Theft

"People think there's somebody that's checking your signature. Nobody is checking any of these things. Nobody is looking out for you but you."

— Matthew Cox (Convicted Home Title Thief)

  • County clerk won't call you if someone changes title on your home
  • Homeowners insurance doesn't cover home title theft
  • Credit card or traditional identity protection doesn't cover home title theft

Protect Yourself today, with Home Title Lock.

  • 24/7 monitoring of your Title
  • Instant alerts if we detect tampering with your title or mortgage
  • Access to our team of Title Restoration Experts

How Easily Title Fraud Occurs

EVERYTHING is stored online in the cloud - including your home's title information

  • 1
    Domestic and international thieves scour online records for homes with equity. It could be the home you live in, your vacation home, a home of an elderly relative, or rental property you own.
  • 2
    Once they change your home's ownership from YOU to THEM, they re-file the Quitclaim Deed for your home with the proper authorities so it appears your home has been legally sold.
  • 3
    They take out personal loans through banks and online lenders using all your home's equity. You likely won't know you're a victim until you start receiving late payments or foreclosure notices.
Man with concealed face wearing a dark colored hooded sweater

Click to see if your home's title has been compromised.
Get your FREE TITLE SCAN and COMPREHENSIVE TITLE REPORT(a $100 value FREE with sign up)

Sign Up

Speak to a live agent

(800) 899-6268

Title Fraud is NOT COVERED by

Your Bank

Legal Trust

Homeowners Insurance

Identity Theft Protection

Signing Up Is Easy - Start Your Subscription Today

Title Lock alerts help you detect property fraud before it's too late.
Create your account for only pennies per day.

Sign Up Today

The Leader in Home Title Protection