Real estate fraud uses forged signature of deceased

A Cleveland woman says her late mother’s home was sold more than a decade after her death through a forged property deed — one of a growing number of real estate fraud cases nationwide.

Tangie Harris learned earlier this year that her mother, Priscilla Harris Norris, who died in 2014, appeared to have “signed” a quitclaim deed in 2025 transferring the family’s home to a company called Happy Home Hunters, LLC, local outlet News 5 Cleveland reported.

A quitclaim deed is often used to transfer property between family members or in a divorce. But in this case, the document appeared to have been falsified and improperly notarized.

The notary listed on the deed, who is based in Kent, Ohio, told News 5 that he suspects his notarization was forged as well. He said he has not notarized any documents since 2021 and has never notarized any quitclaim deeds.

He provided News 5 with his notary ledger — which showed no such transaction — as well as a copy of his official stamp and signature.

Both reportedly differed from those on the deed filed under Norris’s name.

Fraud wave continues to swell

The National Association of Realtors conducted its 2025 Deed and Title Fraud Survey to assess how widespread these scams have become across the country and to gather policy recommendations. Nearly two-thirds of respondents — 63% — said they were aware of deed or title fraud in their markets within the past year.

The problem was most pronounced in the Northeast, where 92% reported cases of fraud.

These scams tend to occur more often in central cities and suburban areas and usually target vacant land rather than occupied homes. Just 12% of reported cases involved owner-occupied properties, while 52% involved residential land and fewer than 20% affected detached single-family homes.

The Boston division of the FBI sounded the alarm over a rise in home title theft — or quit claim deed fraud — earlier this year.

‘A criminal’s playground’

Brian O’Malley — director of real estate services in Cuyahoga County — told News 5 that current problems began after the 2008 mortgage crisis and have grown steadily worse.

“It’s like a criminal’s playground,” O’Malley said. “They want to get it in their name and find a buyer to give them well under market value. Now you have two victims: You have the victim who owns the property and the person who just gave up their life savings, thinking they’re a homeowner.”

“Unfortunately, we do 50,000 transfers annually and they’re by no means handwriting experts. So all they can do is confirm it’s a legitimate notary and the license is current and proceed with the document.”