Deed Scam: OKC Family Receives Eviction Notice On Home They Own

Imagine being evicted from a home you own. It’s happening to one Oklahoma City family, who like you, may be wondering how this is possible. It was through a quit claim deed.

Quit claim deeds are just that, a quick way to change ownership on a deed.

A couple of signatures are notarized on a form and then dropped off at the county clerk’s office.

For Dada, whose last name he wished to not reveal, he did not realize the deed to his home was in someone else’s name until he received an eviction notice.

“I'm like ‘Oh my goodness, this is not us,’” Dada said. “I went to the county assessor's website, believe it or not, it had that guy's name as the owner.”

Documents show that someone filed the quit claim deed and is now the owner, buying the home for $10 plus a filing fee. “He took over my home for $28,” he said.

But he said the document was fake, and the notary’s license was revoked. Even the signatures don't match the original documents. Meanwhile, Dada is still paying the mortgage payments, taxes, and insurance.

“Someone with the stroke of a pen, no one checks it, and your home is gone,” Dada said. “How is this possible.”

Jason Nelson with the clerk's office says the office is limited in what it can do. “We're not document examiners we're not trying to do that, and the statute doesn't allow us to do that,” said Jason Nelson, Chief of Staff.

 However, over the past year, the office has put in some safeguards, checking notary statuses, and following up on tips.

“At the end of the day, if you've got a clever enough criminal, they're probably gonna get away with it, for a while,” Nelson said.

Until homeowners like Dada learn otherwise as he’s now forced to fight for what's rightfully his. “Please everyone in Oklahoma who owns a property, check your property deed now,” he said.

Dada goes to court on Thursday to fight his eviction. He also has law enforcement involved looking into his case.

 Meanwhile, the county clerk's office urges property owners to sign up for its free alert system which will notify you immediately if anything is filed against your property. Click here for more information: https://www.oklahomacounty.org/news/articleid/138/sign-up-for-the-new-free-alert-service-provided-by-the-oklahoma-county-clerk