State Implements New Protections After 65 Cases Reported Since 2021
PHOENIX — Arizona homeowners are facing an escalating threat from sophisticated criminals who exploit quitclaim deeds to steal properties, prompting state officials to implement new safeguards and educational requirements to combat what one attorney general called theft of “life savings.”
Since January of 2021, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has received 65 complaints from homeowners, claiming their home was no longer in their name after someone fraudulently forged their signature on a warranty deed and filed it with the county recorder. In many cases, the criminal quickly sold the home and took off with the money, according to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
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