As WFAA has proven in its “Dirty Deeds” sequence, property fraud is straightforward to do and exhausting to undo.
DALLAS — Editor’s Note: WFAA will air the most recent installment of its “Dirty Deeds” sequence at 10 p.m. Thursday.
Every 12 months, there are greater than 400,000 paperwork filed with the Dallas County Clerk’s Office.
Some of these paperwork are cast property deeds transferring possession to individuals who aren’t the rightful house owners.
“It requires a lot of effort for us to try to play this chess game [of] preventing property fraud,” District Clerk John Warren mentioned.
As WFAA has proven in its “Dirty Deeds” sequence, property fraud is straightforward to do. So simple Arnoldo Ortiz did it once more – from behind bars.
“I’m not going to lie, the money was good,” Ortiz advised WFAA in a 2019 interview.
Deed fraud could also be simple to do. But it’s exhausting to undo.
The regulation places the burn on the sufferer to get their property again.
“It should not be up to the individual only,” Warren mentioned.
The state’s native authorities code comprises the language that individuals want to file paperwork to reclaim their property. But for the typical individual, it could be troublesome to create the paperwork with out having a authorized background.
So, that’s why Warren’s created a set of directions and varieties for those that needed to reclaim their property. It’ll enable them to do with out operating up an enormous authorized tab.
He mentioned it’s free to file the paperwork with the district clerk.
The on-line varieties may be discovered right here on the Dallas County Clerk’s site.
“I can imagine how frustrating it is,” Warren mentioned. “To the extent that I can make things a little bit easier for them, that’s what I want to do.”
Last 12 months, lawmakers gave Warren’s workplace to the suitable to ask for identification when somebody information a property deed.
Now, if somebody refuses to present identification, the clerk’s workplace can refuse to document the doc.
He says in the event that they don’t present ID, then these paperwork are reviewed by the District Attorney’s workplace.
In most instances, he says, the DA’s workplace agrees that the wants shouldn’t be recorded and the possession of the property is just not transferred.
Still, he says lawmakers have to do extra to make deed fraud more durable to commit.
The subsequent installment of its “Dirty Deeds” sequence will air on WFAA News at 10 p.m. Thursday.
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