NYC Sheriff Pushes For More Investigators, Stricter Property Transfer Rules As Forged Deed, Title Hijacking Cases Flood His Office; Says Pinning Crime On Specific Person Tough To Do

From a recent story in the New York Post:

• [D]eed theft is the latest rising wave among foreclosure-related scams that have been ravaging New York City, especially southeastern Brooklyn and Queens, since the crisis began. Huge spikes in real estate values and lax standards for property transfers are fueling this scam.
  
  The New York City Sheriff’s Office now has 900 cases of possible deed fraud, mainly in Brooklyn, and has made 16 arrests. Sheriff Joseph Fucito told The Post that in 175 of the 300 possible deed fraud cases closed in the last year, his office knew fraud had occurred, but couldn’t pin the crime on a specific person. Fucito is pushing for more investigators, as well as stricter property transfer rules.
  
  “Brooklyn is booming as Brooklyn never has before,” NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said about the real estate boom fueling the scams.

Source: How a homeowner’s foreclosure deal turned into a scam horror story.