There's two ways to steal a house:
- The hard way - Brick by brick [Science Daily]
Brandon Parmer and Darrell Maxfield dismantled the three-bedroom brick house in broad daylight and sold the pieces for drug money, Smith County Constable Dennis Taylor said.
The constable said the men had sold pieces of the house until only a pile of rubble was left. Many had witnessed the house's deconstruction, but most thought the demolition was due to the nearby construction of Wal-Mart and a Lowe's stores, he said.
- The easy way - With a fake ID card, a power of attorney and a quit claim deed [CBS News]
When he approached me with a story of, 'My mom's house has been stolen,' frankly, I said to myself, 'Maybe this guy doesn't understand how real estate works,'" says [Jon] Thomas' attorney Dean Boland. "That can't quite be."
But they soon discovered not only how the house was snatched, but how easy it was to do.
"The key documents were a fake ID card, a power of attorney and a quit claim deed ... literally three pieces of paper," says Boland.
That's the beauty of this fraud. Scam artists look for empty homes then obtain a blank deed from any office supply store. They fill it out, forge the signature, have it notarized and file it. At that point, the house is considered officially sold.
- The easy way - With a fake ID card, a power of attorney and a quit claim deed [CBS News]
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Comments (1)
Dracula (the novel by Stoke... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Half Canadian | May 20, 2005 4:24 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Dracula (the novel by Stoker) alluded to a similar case. A man goes away on some business trip. While he's away, an imposter, posing as his agent, sells off everything in the home and then has the home demolished and construction begin on another building. I always wondered if it was based on an actual event.
1. Posted by Half Canadian | May 20, 2005 4:24 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on May 20, 2005 16:24