Property title thefts rampant in South Florida, business owner, property appraiser fight back
MIAMI - It only takes minutes for someone to steal your home.
South Florida is a hotbed for title thefts. Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor called it one of the easier crimes to commit.
One local business owner, however, is stepping up to help protect property owners from fraudsters.
Twenty days before the attacks on September 11th, 2001, Kevin Tacher retired his hard hat and moved from the Big Apple to South Florida. In New York, he worked as a firefighter, saving lives.
"I've always prided myself on going above and beyond from day one," said Tacher.
He now serves and protects differently. Tacher runs his own title insurance business in Fort Lauderdale. His mission is to protect people from those creating fraudulent title deeds and trying to sell properties illegitimately.
"I get goosebumps now even hearing it. You look at someone who has built up their entire life's savings to own all this real estate without a mortgage, and all of a sudden, they could have been wiped out," he said.
In June, Tacher was about to facilitate a closing on a vacant lot in Homestead but held off when the paperwork sent in by the presumed owners appeared off.
"The notary stamped looked a little odd. It was a New York notary and the photo IDs were not clear copies," he said.
Having yet to communicate by phone, Tacher did a reverse search. He found out the lot's owner "Susan" lived in Miami, not New York. He called her to confirm if she was selling the property.
"I felt like she wanted to hang up on me. She was like, no way, it's not possible," said Tacher.
Susan soon realized Tacher was right.
"These people also opened a bank account in my husband's name," she said.
After another chat with Tacher, he stopped the deal at the closing table, protecting her investment.
"I was this close to my property being transferred and recorded in somebody else's name," she said. "(We) worked hard for it. Somebody else doesn't need to steal it."
Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar calls South Florida the "title fraud capital of the world." Within office, there's a division dedicated to investigating fraud cases.
Kiar recalled a case where two women in Broward used healthcare patient information to acquire distressed, abandoned, foreclosed, and probated real property. They were sentenced in March.
"They're alleged to have taken these properties throughout the state. That's why everyone throughout the state of Florida should be vigilant," he said.
Kiar's office has a team of ten investigators who look into property fraud.
"If you are thinking of stealing someone's property, you are not welcome in Broward County. We're going to work very closely with law enforcement to put you in jail for a long time. So, don't do it," said Kiar.
Recently, Kiar's office teamed up with the county's state attorney's office in an interlocal agreement to prosecute fraudsters.
"What we've noticed prevailing, not only in this county but throughout the state, where these deed fraudsters go online and much of the information they find is public record," Pryor.
Pryor said most targets of fraud are the elderly, the deceased, vacant homes and lots, and minority communities.
Kiar started an owner's alert program for the county last year. It notifies residents if someone files a change of ownership on their property. It does not prevent fraud but alerts the rightful owner within 24 hours to take action.