Home Deed Theft

3 Jun 2024 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:01

In this YouTube video, Jerry Taylor warns viewers about deed theft—a form of identity and real‑estate fraud where criminals forge a homeowner’s signature on a quit‑claim deed, often using a counterfeit notary, and transfer the property to themselves or a trust they control. He cites FBI data indicating nearly 12,000 U.S. victims in 2022. Once the deed is altered, the fraudster can sell the home or borrow against it. Taylor outlines four practical steps to protect against this crime. The first step is to monitor whether you continue receiving mortgage, tax, and utility bills—missing statements may signal an address change tied to a fraudulent deed. The second step (partially described) involves locating your property records to verify ownership details. The video aims to raise awareness and provide actionable safeguards.

Chapters

Deed theft on your home is real, and I'm going to tell you how to avoid it. The FBI says that almost 12,000 people in the United States were subject to real estate fraud in 2022. Deed theft or deed fraud is a type of identity theft and real estate fraud. This is where someone forges your signature on a deed, often a quitclaim deed, and they transfer the property to themselves or to a trust that they control. They'll use a counterfeit notary signature on the document. And once it's in their name or a trust name, they can sell it to somebody else. Once the property is in their name or under their control, there's a lot of things they can do with it. They can even borrow against it. Here are 4 things you can do to protect yourself against deed theft. First thing you can do is just pay attention to whether you are continuing to receive your mortgage bills, your tax bills, your water bills. If you are not receiving these things, then it's an indication that someone has changed the address. The second thing you do is to actually locate your