Stealing your identity and your home

Here’s  a chilling scam: Not only are con artists stealing people’s identities, they’re stealing their homes, too.

You can read about this particular scam here, on the Web site of the FBI.

It works like this: Con artists select a home to steal. They then assume the owner’s identity by getting his or her name and personal information and using that to create fake IDs and Social Security cards.

The crooks next purchase property transfer forms, forge the homeowner’s signature and file the deeds with the proper authorities.

It sounds too simple.

Last year, the FBI investigated a case in Los Angeles where the owner of a real estate business defrauded more than 100 homeowners and lenders out of about $12 million. The con artist had promised to help struggling homeowners pay their mortgage loans by refinancing their loans. Instead she and her partners used either straw buyers or stolen identities to purchase these homeowners’ residences. The scammers took the money they borrowed but never made any mortgage payments on these homes. The owners, unfortunately, lost their homes.

The scary part is that in today’s Internet age, it’s easier than it ever has been for scammers to steal your identity. The FBI warns homeowners to stay vigilant. If you ever receive a payment book or information from a mortgage company, don’t simply throw the mail away. Look into it. The FBI also recommends that homeowners occasionally visit their county’s deeds office to check information about their properties.