Elderly Couple Evicted From Their House After Scammer Claims Ownership; Here's how to Stay Safe

Home-ownership and finding a place on rent have become increasingly difficult due to rising prices, but while young people struggle for affordable housing, senior citizens are being targeted by scammers. An elderly man in Georgia was jailed and forced out of his home of 20 years like a squatter, after a scammer used false paperwork to claim ownership. After spending the last twenty years in their identical Stone Mountain, Georgia, home, officials informed Charles and Charmaine Allman on Tuesday that they were no longer the owners and had to move out.

According to the publication, to obtain possession of the Allman family's house, an unidentified man allegedly faked a deed and filed the paperwork online with Dekalb County.

Legal Muddle and Arrest

After receiving papers in the mail informing them that a second mortgage had been taken out on their house, Allman declared, "We don't owe any more money on our mortgage." The new individual posing as the homeowner informed the couple that he had purchased the house due to a foreclosure.

According to jail records, Charles Allman was arrested on a charge of criminal trespass after he refused to leave when ordered to. His wife Charmaine Allman said, "I don’t know how this is possible. How does this happen, period? It’s very upsetting to see my husband in handcuffs at 77 years old and placed in the car because he didn’t want to leave his home. He has nowhere to go. No family.”

Richard Alembik, a real estate lawyer, told WSB-TV that it is far too easy for someone to forge a property deed and have it formally recorded. He claimed that because it is so simple to register and record deeds electronically, this is a serious problem in the modern world.

Legal Vulnerability in Property Transactions

Alembik stated that notaries, who authenticate legal documents, frequently fail to verify the identity of the people submitting the documents to make sure they are the true owners. According to the study, a judge may still order victims of this type of fraud to vacate the property and even pay fines, even if they can demonstrate they are real homeowners. When a Queens homeowner attempted to remove persons she believed to be residing there illegally, she was jailed last week in New York City.

According to ABC's Eyewitness News, Adele Andaloro, 47, was arrested after she changed the locks on the $1 million home in Flushing, Queens, which she claims she inherited from her parents after they died. At the $1 million house in Flushing, the Queens District Attorney's Office encountered opposition from a few residents who insisted they were renters, not squatters.

What Precautions Can You Take? 

To begin with, seek legal guidance if you suspect fraud involving their property, and speak with legal professionals. Verify documents such as property records regularly, and take swift action to resolve any inconsistencies. Keep an eye out for any unlawful transactions or modifications to property records.

Homeowners should take extra security precautions, such as notarizing, and keeping physical copies of their property documents safe. They should also notify the appropriate authorities of any suspicious behavior.