In recent news, a nefarious company attempted to foreclose on Elvis Presley's former Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee. The fraudulent investment and private lending company claimed that Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’s only daughter, used Graceland as collateral to borrow money and failed to repay the loan. The fraudulent company forged her signature on legal documents, and eventually claimed the title to Graceland. After filing suit alleging fraud, the court halted the foreclosure, but not all attempts to defraud a landowner are as easily noticed and litigated.
These cases are not unique to only the rich and famous; it can, and does occur in communities such as Washtenaw County. Information about family members can be easily accessible online, especially when sources of personal information such as obituaries are published.
Fraudulent deeds can only be handled and resolved by a court order which can take several months and be costly for the property owner to re-gain its lawful title. Usually there’s not coverage available through a homeowner’s insurance policy that applies to this type of fraud.
Learn more about what you should do if you’re the victim of a fake deed scam here.
Washtenaw County does have a monitoring program, with information available here: https://ssclerk.ewashtenaw.org/web/fraudGuard/disclaimerPage. If you’re a victim of a fake deed, real estate attorneys in Ann Arbor at Pear Sperling Eggan & Daniels, P.C. are experienced in recovering real estate to the rightful owners using handwriting experts and other evidentiary means to prove ownership.
No comments:
Post a Comment