Greg's Corner

How to lose your home to a scammer without even trying

By Greg Collier

You would think it must be pretty difficult for someone to steal your home out from under you without you noticing. However, it might be easier than you’d imagine.

A homeowner from St. Louis recently lost ownership of her house to a scammer she never even met. Allegedly, a man went to the Recorder of Deeds with a quitclaim deed which said the homeowner turned the house over to the man for no cost. The man even presented a notarized deed that indicated the homeowner was present when the supposed deal was made. Except, the notary who is said to have officiated over the transfer doesn’t even exist. There is no record of this notary being licensed in Missouri.

You might assume that once the error was caught, the deed transfer would be cancelled, but the Recorder of Deeds office claims they did nothing wrong. They say it’s not their job to make sure the notary on the deed is licensed. Their excuse is they have 60,000 documents they process in a year, and it’s not their requirement to check each notary.

Suffice to say, the homeowner is suing both the man who claimed the deed and the Recorder of Deeds office.

This type of title scam can occur in various locations. We would like to emphasize that while we wish we could provide a foolproof method to shield yourself from such a scam, the effectiveness of protection depends on your place of residence. Certain counties in the US have implemented a program that alerts homeowners via email if any documents bearing their name concerning their property appear in county offices. Unfortunately, not every county offers this service.

If you have concerns about falling victim to such a scam, it’s advisable to investigate whether your county has a comparable program in place. If not, you may want to consider reaching out to your county authorities and suggesting the implementation of such a safeguard.