‘No one checks it & your home is gone,’ cries horrified man realizing someone else now owns his house – it cost just $28

A HOMEOWNER was left in shock after learning that a stranger had taken over the deed to his home by paying just $28.

Dada from Oklahoma City was stunned when he came home to find an eviction notice on his front door.

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Someone had filed a quit claim deed that changed ownership of the home without Dada’s approval, he told local CBS affiliate KWTV.

Quit claim deeds are a quick and easy way for homeowners to change ownership of a deed.

In Dada’s case, a fraudster was able to file the paperwork to take over ownership of his home without him knowing it.

The form was signed by a notary and filed with the clerk’s office for just $28.

Dada didn’t find out about the situation until he saw the eviction notice on his front door.

“I’m like ‘Oh my goodness, this is not us,’” Dada said.

“I went to the county assessor’s website, believe it or not, it had that guy’s name as the owner.”

He then learned that the document transferring ownership was fake and the notary who signed it had a revoked license.

The signatures didn’t match up at all but the paperwork had been accepted anyway.

“No one checks it and your home is gone … How is this possible?” Dada told the TV station.

“He took over my home for $28.”

‘PROBABLY GONNA GET AWAY WITH IT’

Unfortunately, the clerk’s office’s chief of staff, Jason Nelson, said there isn’t much that they can do to help.

“We’re not document examiners,” said Nelson.

“We’re not trying to do that, and the statute doesn’t allow us to do that.”

Nelson said that the office has put in more safeguards over the past year, including checking the status of notaries.

They’ve also been following up on tips but he admitted that there’s only so much they can do.

“At the end of the day, if you’ve got a clever enough criminal, they’re probably gonna get away with it, for a while,” Nelson said.

Meanwhile, Dada is still paying his mortgage, taxes, and insurance as he fights the eviction in court.

Police are also looking into the case.

“Please everyone in Oklahoma who owns a property, check your property deed now,” Dada urged.

The county clerk’s office said homeowners can sign up for a free alert system that notifies them immediately if any paperwork is filed for their property.

SIMILAR SCAM

Rahim Rupani from Atlanta was shocked when he got a call from a neighbor warning him that people were snooping around his property.

He later found a police report that revealed his home, which was valued at over $300,000, was sold for just $9,000.

“I never sold it, never ever,” Rupani said.

He said that suspects broke into his home after forging his signature on a quit-claim deed which he shared with the outlet.

“I never signed those things; that’s not my signature,” he said.

The deed showed that the new owner was Black Raven Irrevocable Trust.

Police even argued with Rupani that he was no longer the owner of the home.

However, as long as Rupani keeps the real deed to his property, he can prove that he is the real owner, and his story is warning others to be vigilant.

How can your home be sold without your consent?

Your home can be sold from under you for various reasons – here are three key things to look out for:

Tax Sale

• A Tax sale is the sale of property by a governmental entity to recover unpaid taxes by the owner who has reached a certain point of delinquency in their owed payments.
• Before a tax sale takes place, there is a right-of-redemption period where the owner can pay off their debt and reclaim their home.
• Each state has different laws surrounding tax sales but in most areas, the basic requirement is that adequate notice is given to the owner to pay the outstanding money, and any sale must be open to the public.

Foreclosure

• Foreclosures can take place when lenders take control of a property after borrowers have failed to make their repayments.
• Borrowers will receive a Notice of Default, triggering the foreclosure process.
• Homeowners in HOA communities can also see their homes foreclosed by their HOA for falling behind on fees.
• This means that even if you keep up with mortgage repayments, you could still lose your home if your HOA has a lien on your property.
• When such a foreclosure takes place, the sale price only needs to be enough to cover the HOA debt meaning that properties can be sold for much less than they are worth.

Property Fraud

• Criminals can sell or mortgage homes by pretending to be the owner by using a fake or stolen ID.
• Typical targets for property fraud include absent owners like landlords, owners who live abroad, and sole owners of unmortgaged homes.
• The U.S. Sun previously reported on a man whose vacation home worth $300,000 was sold by criminals for just $9,000 – they even had the deed to the property.

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