Houston woman's land stolen in title theft scam: FBI warns of growing trend
Land stolen from Houston woman; How did it happen?
A Houston woman says she made an alarming discovery: land she has owned for years was transferred to someone else without her knowing about it. The FBI reports that title theft is a growing crime, robbing rightful owners of hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
Houston - A Houston woman says she made an alarming discovery: land she has owned for years was transferred to someone else without her knowing about it.
The FBI reports that title theft is a growing crime, robbing rightful owners of hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
A piece of land on Reed Road in Houston may not look like more than an empty lot. But to a Houston woman, it was the foundation for the future. It's property she bought 13 years ago to, one day, pass down to her son.
But she says that legacy was stolen right out from under her through a system where crooks can actually steal land.
"I was just heartbroken. You could hear it in my voice. Every part of me, I felt like I died almost," said Brandilyn Williams.
Williams says she discovered a year ago that the lot at 4409 Reed Road she bought in 2011 had been transferred to someone else without her knowledge.
"I never had a for sale sign out on the property," said Williams.
The paper trail led all the way to Austria.
Williams says the thieves gave her a fake Austrian address on the transfer document, and used a fake passport and a fake ID.
"It was my name on a male’s face, Brandilyn Williams, my name and the picture was a male's face. And the face on the driver's license, from my understanding, is different from the face that was used on the passport," said Williams.
"It's just very sophisticated. I mean they have a purported notary in Vienna, Austria who works out of the U.S. Embassy," said Williams' attorney, Derek Deyon.
The land was transferred to someone at an office address in a building in Southwest Houston.
We called the phone number on the office door.
"This number is not in service," answered a recording. We tried another number we found associated with the name of the recipient on the transfer document, but we received no response.
Williams has filed suit against the transfer recipient and Select Title, for its handling of the transfer. Title companies are supposed to ensure clear titles, but Select Title declined to answer our questions.
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This alleged land heist is just one case. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded 11,727 real estate fraud victims in 2022, with losses totaling 350 million dollars.
"Land theft is a lot more prevalent than people realize," said Valerie Turner of the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
Turner has investigated title theft cases for twenty years. She says most home and land theft involves properties that are vacant or owned by the elderly.
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"The suspect will file a forged deed at the clerk’s office, and when I say forged, I mean the true owner's name and signature are placed on the document without their permission," explained Turner.
"The suspect then turns around and sells it to an unsuspecting buyer, sometimes for cash. They can even go through a title company," she said.
It can take true owners months of time and tens of thousands in legal fees to straighten it out.
Just last June, Texas lawmakers beefed up a state law to crack down on the crime.
"This home title law allows county clerks to basically demand to see a photo ID if somebody is changing the title on a home. That way you have some idea who the person is that’s bringing the title change in," said State Senator Paul Bettencourt (R - West Harris County), who worked on the new law.
The Harris County clerk declined to be interviewed, but staff say the office has already opted to require photo ID for years, as larger counties have been allowed by previous state laws.
In North Texas, Rockwall County Clerk Jennifer Fogg says the new law is helping.
"We have apprehended and indicted two criminals for property fraud," she told us.
But Fogg says more is still needed to prevent the crime. She suggests requiring thumbprints, keeping copies of IDs with transactions for later reference, and more laws to prevent fraudulent notarizations.
"We were trying to strengthen the notary laws so that it would require education," said Fogg. "And we also want fingerprint background checks for the notaries."
After we talked with Senator Bettencourt about cases like Williams', where fake IDs were allegedly used, he said his committee would consider more protections.
"If fraud continues, then we either have to jack up the penalties or find a more fool-proof way to stop it from occurring," said Bettencourt.
Williams and her attorney hope speaking out will lead to change.
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"The way I feel inside, you cannot put it in words really, but no one should have to feel this way," said Williams.
"This is extremely alarming to me, not just as an attorney, but just as a U.S. citizen and a native Houstonian," said attorney Derek Deyon.
Houston Police say Williams' case has been turned over to federal investigators.
So how can a property owner protect their land from this crime?
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Some counties, such as Rockwall County, let owners sign up to be alerted when transactions are filed in their name. Harris County doesn't offer that.
But owners can check the status of their property on the County Clerk's website.
They can also pay for home title monitoring offered through security companies.
Experts also recommend buying title insurance when you buy real estate to help protect your investment.