South Dallas woman pushes for tougher laws for fake property deed scams

Published: Sep 12, 2024 Duration: 00:03:09 Category: News & Politics

Tags : news video kdfw fox 4 fraudulent property deeds property deeds theft stolen property deeds forged property deed fake property deed Texas House Committee on Business and Industry Seller impersonation fraud Texas title pirates

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. FORNEY. ALL RIGHT. SEAN, THANKS. WELL, TEXAS HOMEOWNERS AND PROSECUTORS SHARED HORROR STORIES TODAY OF HOUSES BEING STOLEN FROM THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS. THIEVES ARE USING FRAUDULENT DEEDS TO SEIZE CONTROL OF PROPERTY. AND CATCHING THEM IS NOT AN EASY TASK. FOX FOUR'S ALEX BOYD TELLS US WHAT STATE LAWMAKERS ARE BEING ASKED TO DO. ALEX HEY, BLAKE. IT'S DEFINITELY A NIGHTMARE FOR FOLKS EXPERIENCING THIS PROPERTY. DEED THEFT IS BECOMING SUCH A PROBLEM IN THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT WE LEARNED TODAY THAT LAWMAKERS ARE REALLY CONSIDERING CREATING A NEW CRIMINAL OFFENSE TO HOLD THOSE CROOKS RESPONSIBLE. I TALKED TO A SOUTH DALLAS WOMAN WHO SAID IT HAPPENED TO HER. BUYING A HOUSE IS CONSIDERED PART OF THE AMERICAN DREAM, BUT THE DREAMS OF HOME OWNERSHIP HAVE TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE FOR MANY TEXANS. NOW, OF COURSE, I FREAKED OUT. WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? THAT'S THE VOICE OF NORMA ADAMS. WADE, THE SOUTH DALLAS RESIDENT TESTIFIED VIRTUALLY BEFORE THE TEXAS HOUSE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY. I'M VERY SORRY, MISS WADE. FOR WHAT YOU'RE HAVING TO GO THROUGH. I CAN'T IMAGINE THE ANGUISH AND THE ANXIETY THAN THAT YOU'VE HAD TO EXPERIENCE. THE STATE LAWMAKERS HELD A HEARING IN AUSTIN THURSDAY TO DISCUSS THE GROWING NUMBER OF FRAUDULENT DEEDS PURPORTING TO SHOW THAT PROPERTY HAS BEEN LEGITIMATELY TRANSFERRED OR SOLD. WADE HAD NO IDEA IT WAS HAPPENING TO HER UNTIL HER TENANT CALLED ABOUT THE EMPTY LOT SHE OWNED NEXT DOOR. THE LAND WAS BEING CLEARED. I SAW THE CREW. I RUSHED OVER THERE AND I WAS LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHO ARE YOU? WHAT'S GOING ON? COME OVER HERE AND TELL ME WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? YOU'VE BOUGHT THIS PROPERTY? I HAVEN'T SOLD ANYTHING TO YOU. WADE EVENTUALLY GOT HER HANDS ON THE FAKE DEED OF SALE. THE DEED LOOKED VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. WHEN I FINALLY DID SEE IT WITH CROSSED OUT WORDS AND SUCH AND AN OUT OF STATE ADDRESS WRITTEN IN BY HAND ON ON A FORM. DOCUMENT. BUT THE DAMAGE WAS ALREADY DONE. FOR THE PAST SEVEN MONTHS, SHE'S BEEN FIGHTING IN CIVIL COURT TO GET THE PROPERTY PUT BACK IN HER NAME, SPENDING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON THE LEGAL PROCESS. AND CLEARLY IT WAS A SCAM. IT INVOLVED MAINLY TWO PEOPLE WHO CHANGED DALLAS COUNTY PROPERTY RECORDS. BUT I'M OFTEN ASKED A SPECIFIC QUESTION HOW OFTEN DOES THIS HAPPEN? AND WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE ALL THEFTS ARE CATEGORIZED AS THEFT. WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THOSE THEFTS ACROSS THE STATE ARE REAL PROPERTY THEFTS. DALLAS COUNTY ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY PHILLIP CLARK IS URGING LAWMAKERS TO CREATE A NEW CRIMINAL OFFENSE FOR THEFT OF REAL PROPERTY. IT WOULD INCREASE PENALTIES AND PUNISHMENTS, ACCORDING TO THE VALUE OF A PROPERTY AND EXTEND THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS TO FILE CHARGES AGAINST THOSE RESPONSIBLE. TO PROVIDE SOME DEFINITIONS TO REALLY CLARIFY THE PROSECUTION. BECAUSE WE GET RIDICULOUS ARGUMENTS FROM DEFENSE ATTORNEYS AND WADE IS STILL IN LITIGATION. SHE SAYS SHE HAS LEARNED THAT OTHER HOMEOWNERS IN HER SOUTH DALLAS NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE ALSO FALLEN VICTIM TO THIS. AND S

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