Gwinnett County police warning property owners after report of ‘unusual’ real estate scam

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County police are urging residents to be on high alert as the department investigates an "unusual" type of real estate fraud.

Authorities say crooks swindled a woman out of a property she owned using forged documents.

Authorities say the resident found herself in sheer confusion after learning she was the target of scammers during an unsuccessful attempt to pay her property taxes this past November.

"She had a piece of property out of Gwinnett County, and she got a notice back saying she didn’t own the property. She had owned it for a number of years, so she started looking into it," said Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle.

Not long after the woman filed a police report, Gwinnett County police launched an investigation into what they determined to be a strange case of real estate fraud.

"These individuals are still committing fraud and producing fraudulent documents to try and obtain these pieces of property," the police spokesperson stated.

Police say scammers file the forged documents with the clerk’s office where a property may be located in an effort to get a quitclaim deed without consent from the property owner.

Typically, quitclaim deeds serve as a way to transfer the ownership of property between trusted individuals.

"Often there’s not any kind of monetary value exchanged, so it’s a way to kind of speed up the process when you’re not really selling it…you’re just giving it to family," Winderweedle explained.

The crooks will then try to sell the property to another buyer or extort the real property owner to get it back.

"In this particular case, it seems like they were trying to turn around and re-sell the property that did not have any structures on it," he stated.

Gwinnett police say property owners can sign up to receive alerts through the Fraud Alert Notification System about changes to a deed, mortgage or lien filed on their property.

Winderweedle tells FOX 5 investigators found similar cases reported in other metro Atlanta counties. Police are also advising residents to keep a closer eye on property they own but may not check on it frequently.