Posted on 07/30/2023 7:41:59 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
Kenigsberg never lost his fondness for the town. For decades, he held on to a vacant parcel of just under a half-acre next door to his childhood home. His father had bought that land, also in 1953, directly from Eleazar Parmly Jr. -- the family that settled the area in 1716.
...On May 31 of this year, Kenigsberg received a call with bad news from a childhood friend still in Fairfield. His closest pal growing up was in a hospice in the town. And by the way, the friend mentioned, they’re building a house on the lot next to his old home.
They're doing what? "I said, ‘I own that and I never sold it,’” Kenigsberg recounted this week. “I was shocked.”
...Town records point the way toward the story. On Oct. 18, 2022, Daniel Kenigsberg of Johannesburg, South Africa granted the power of attorney – the right to sign legal documents on his behalf --
(Excerpt) Read more at ctinsider.com ...
Thanks.
Would having title insurance prevent that sort of fraud? Does anyone know?
In the article it says traditional title insurance doesn’t prevent identity fraud. They don’t say if there is a non-traditional kind you can get that will.
Thanks, did not catch that. I guess it just pays to check on property documents, ownership, taxes at least once a year.
See reply #13
Sorry - I should have spent more time reading the piece before criticizing it... my bad.
It does say the town of Fairfield has a fraud alert you can sign up for on their web site. Any times there is some action on the property you will be notified. I’m not sure if most towns or counties have that.
“Looks like the fraud was by the Monelli law firm in Connecticut.”
Very interesting. 51 Sky Top Partners LLC was filed on Oct 4, 2022. The Registered Again was Mark N. Clarket Attorney AT Lay LLC in Fairfield CT. Looking for a connect between Lay LLC and Monelli.
Whether the builders remove the structure or not, it seems to me that the true title holder owns the building.
I’ve never had a squatter problem but have heard enough horror stories about them.
I signed up for the mailing list there.
In CT property tax records for towns and cities are on-line.
They include the name of the owner of the property—so it is easy to check if an unauthorized transfer was made.
In addition the property tax bills are sent by snail mail to the owner and their address on record annually. If you do not receive a bill that is a waving red flag demanding immediate attention.
Issue:
—Property taxes can be paid either in one annual payment or two six month payments. Therefore the data would not catch relatively recent fraudulent transfers.
—A clever enough fraudulent transfer with fake/forged documents would be hard to stop—you would always be playing catch-up. A junkyard dog attorney (Better Call Saul) is a necessity in these cases.
Property rights were never specifically stated in our Constitution. That’s something that needs to be remedied.
Yeah, in this case, just going to Google Maps 'Street View' would likely have exposed the construction.
“South Africa? Why post this?”
This county has a service that is intended to prevent this.
Any title search or other activity regarding property generates an inquiry to the owner to verify that the activity is known to and approved by the owner.
The property owner must sign up to the program.
LOL - - TO YOUR LINK. Good one Tex
Also - See reply #13
“Sorry - I should have spent more time reading the piece before criticizing it... my bad.
It’s possible we will see it happen more often. Artificial intelligence can make false identities all the easier as the lines blur between real and fake. That’s why we’re seeing the rise of fraud alerts in land transactions. Traditional title insurance doesn’t protect against identity fraud.
My first instinct was hire a wrecking ball and know it down pronto.
If there is fraud due to existing forged documents I don’t see any pre purchase remedy for that unless the title insurance specifically states that the insurance covers it.
An attorney could do reasonable due diligence and still not catch it if the fraud was executed by professional fraudsters rather than stupid amateurs.
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