What is real estate fraud exactly?
There are many kinds. The most grievous is when a person brings a fraudulent deed into the County Recorders Office, pays to record the document, and, in doing so, somewhat legally transfers the property to himself or herself. Yet in reality it is theft. Why do people transfer the property fraudulently? Transferring the property and keeping it would make it very easy to apprehend these thieves. That’s not why they do it. Typically they steal a property in this way so to borrow against the property, take the money, and let the property default be foreclosed. The unsuspecting property owner is caught off guard and has to do fight to hang onto their property and maintain their credit. Many times, the properties that are targeted for this kind of fraud belong to seniors who own their home outright. Adding insult to injury is the fact that it can cost a homeowner thousands of dollars to clear up the problem. Who is involved in creating or processing these fraudulent documents? Some counties
