Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Another Tenant, Kids Get Pre-Xmas Boot After Unwittingly Renting House From Vacant Home Hijackers; Cops Bag Duo, Say They Have Ten Cases Against Pair
In Plantation, Florida, WPLG-TV Channel 10 reports:
When Marcella Scott rented a home in Plantation she'd already pictured her holidays there. "I was thinking I could walk with the kids and they could ride their bike," Scott said. But before she could live out her dream a stranger knocked on her door.
"He knocked on my door and asked what I was doing in his house. At the moment, I was shaking and about to pass out," Scott said.
It turns out the guy who she thought was her landlord, Kenneth Corbin, is now in jail. Investigators say he and his associate, Tyrone Jones, are notorious for illegally taking over foreclosed homes in Broward County.
"They use false companies, falsify documents, get the houses turned over to their names and then rent them out," said Plantation police investigator, Sgt. Al Butler. Police say they break in, change the locks, and then find someone to pay the rent in cash.
There are currently ten cases against the duo.
Local 10's Sasha Andrade may have stumbled upon the 11th. She approached a family living inside a home Corbin rented out a couple of weeks ago.
"He's now in jail," Andrade told Daniel Biban. Biban was stunned. He says he paid Corbin $2000 in cash, money he may never see again. "He gave me a lease, he gave me a receipt," said Biban.
As for Marcella Scott, she spent Wednesday moving out of a house that was never hers.
Her holidays are now ruined, and any cash she had for presents will now be spent on a hotel room. "It's past tough because I have three kids, I'm pregnant, and I have nowhere to go," said Scott.
Investigators believe there may be more victims out there. They say that a red flag is a landlord collecting in cash, or having a difficult time turning on water or electricity. Police also say that if a deal seems too good to be true it most likely is.
CBC News: Betrayal of Trust (A CBC investigation reveals how lawyers across Canada have misappropriated and mishandled clients money, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or sometimes even charging vulnerable people top dollar for shoddy services)
Land Contract/Contract For Deed/Rent-To-Own Rackets
The New York Times: The Housing Trap (In the wake of the housing crisis, low-income families have turned to seller financing to buy homes but these deals can be a money trap)
Beware The Fine Print: Consumers Forced To Sign Away Their Rights To Use Court System
The NY Times: Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice(Part 1 in series examining how clauses buried in tens of millions of contracts have deprived Americans of one of their most fundamental constitutional rights: their day in court)
Foreclosure Mills' Abysmal Record In Complying With New NYS Foreclosure Requirements
Justice Deceived: How Large Foreclosure Firms Subvert State Regulations Protecting Homeowners
MFY Legal Services Report On Questionable Practices By Process Servers In Debt Collection Cases
Justice Disserved: A Preliminary Analysis of the Exceptionally
Low Appearance Rate by Defendants in Lawsuits Filed in the Civil Court of the City of New York
Mortgage Mess Redux: Robo-Signers Return (A Reuters investigation finds that many banks are still employing the controversial foreclosure practices that sparked a major outcry last year)
CNN Video: As Foreclosures Mount, Florida Court Turns To 'Rocket Docket'
The Wall Street Journal: A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases (2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge)
"Produce The Note" Strategy When Dealing With Missing Promissory Notes In Foreclosure Actions
ABC Video: Fighting Against Foreclosure (Some homeowners have found a new tactic to keep the banks at bay)
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