Just one more thing to watch out for.
It's always astounding the ways that some folks will try to beat the system.
This last week I was talking with an Attorney who had just recently had a scam encounter that he had never seen in 30 years in Real Estate.
Apparently 2 sellers arrived for their closing and signed all their documents, and were just about to be handed their $325,000 closing check, when the attorney asked for their drivers licenses for the file.
The husband took his out from his wallet but the wife said she didnt have hers with her.
The hubby said "Cant you just use mine ?"
Getting a weird feeling, the Attorney asked if the wife had any identification at all on her - especially as she had her pocketbook with her !
At this point the 2 seemed to get a little fidgety !
Continuing with his uneasiness, the attorney said "I'm really sorry but I cant finalize this closing without getting copies of your official ID for the file".
With that, the wife said "OK no problem, I might have it in the car..."
... and strangely, they BOTH went off to the car to get the ID.
AND NEVER CAME BACK !!!!!!!
It turns out that the husband was indeed who he said he was, and was an owner of the house. BUT, his 'wife' at the closing, was not actually his 'wife' .... yet !
... She was in fact, HIS GIRLFRIEND !!!!!
Their little scam was that she would sign as the wife, they would take their check and quietly deposit it asap having sold the house.
I say quietly because it was revealed that the REAL wife was separated from the husband, but not yet divorced.
... AND HAD NO IDEA THAT THE HOUSE WAS BEING SOLD !!!!!
They wanted to deposit that Fat Check - and cash it out as soon as it cleared and disappear with over $300k without the real wife knowing anything about it !
... and they would have got away with it too if it wasnt for that meddlin' attorney !!!!!!
So kudos to efficient attorneys, who do their jobs well and dont cut corners, and in the process, sometimes help to avoid some tricky scams like this one !!!!
Happy Weekend All !!!
Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
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Thanks for reposting this as I missed it the first time around - as a Notary I have had a similar situation happen to me!
I read this yesterday it is a shame what some individuals will do thanks to the attorney for doing his job. Thanks for the repost.
All attorney's here in my area request the drivers license and make photos of it before they complete any closing. Sounds like a good idea.
Great story. Reminds me of the neighbors I had in San Diego who were agents. They put a For Sale sign in another neighbors yard while those neighbors were away on vacation and the agents were supposed to be watching the house. When the vacationers returned, they were presented with an offer, even though they never wanted to sell. This created a little tension in the neighborhood and a call to the local realtor board.
WOW! that was crazy, I am glad I am at Title when we close every deal. I have never been in a situation like this before.
Good morning Fran,
We close at title companies and they always require a valid picture ID, auto license or passport. Once several years ago they had the same thing happen and they both left the table also..not to return!