A HOMEOWNER was shocked to learn that his million-dollar property was no longer in his name and had allegedly been sold for just $10.
The 72-year-old from Athens, Georgia, made the discovery by chance when checking the tax statement for his home.
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After not receiving his latest tax statement, the businessman called the tax accessor’s office and was told that the deed had been quitclaimed.
“She said, ‘You quitclaimed the deed in September of 2022,’ and I said, ‘No I didn’t,” he told the Athens Banner-Herald last year.
“I went down and sure enough someone had forged my signature,” he claimed.
“They botched it a little bit,” he added, noting that his signature and the forged one were different.
Despite never touching the deed, documents showed that the property belonged to a woman called Mary Anthony.
“The deed stated he agreed to sign over his property to Anthony for $10,” a police report seen by the Banner-Herald stated.
After notifying the police, the unidentified homeowner filed a claim alleging that the deed was fraudulent and urged the city to take further action to protect property owners.
“I put in an affidavit showing this is fraudulent. Legally, I’ve got to do this but somehow the city has got to be more aware,” he said.
The businessman was shocked that the city would believe he would give his home away for just $10 when it is worth over $1 million.
Despite being unable to find out who Mary Anthony is, the man claimed that the fraudulent deed had been notarized by a notary public.
“I know the particulars of the notary public,” he told the news outlet, adding that identification details such as a driver’s license and address have to be given.
However, he warned officials that there were numerous “red flags” regarding the quitclaim deed that should not have been allowed to go through.
“It’s serious. You don’t know how these people can come and do something that is well out of the ordinary,” he said.
The homeowner believes that the scammers were going to try to mortgage the property.
What is a quitclaim deed?
Quitclaim deeds are a useful tool for transferring ownership of property quickly.
Experts at Chase Bank have warned the mechanism is generally used by people who trust each other.
The paperwork is signed by the person transferring the property and the receiving party.
The document is signed by both parties and it is dated to make it official.
There are different scenarios where a quitclaim deed may be appropriate. These include:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Wills
- Fixing any errors that are on property records
But quitclaim deed forms have been exploited by scammers looking to target unsuspecting homeowners.
Signatures can be forged without the homeowner’s knowledge.
Documents are taken to local offices and filed before they are processed.
However, the chances of the fraudsters being caught are slim, according to Athens-Clarke police Lt. Jody Thompson.
Thompson told the news outlet that such property scams have occurred in the city before but prosecutions are non-existent.
“I don’t recall us ever being able to prosecute anyone because we haven’t been able to find them,” he said.
The senior citizen has since signed up for a program called Filing Activity Notification Systems which alerts property owners to any activity regarding their property documents.
The Athens-Clarke County Police Department has been contacted for comment.
Meanwhile, one woman in Detroit successfully had the man who stole two of her properties convicted of multiple felonies thanks to indisputable evidence.
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