So, why does this concern us? Well, given the amount of information out there and the view that many people believe they have nothing worth stealing -- how about your house? The story, which I watched this morning, was a bit of a wake-up call in the way that house titles are done and made me realize how easy this could be done thanks to info that can be obtained online. In the story they showed a man who lost his house and didn't even know it. He had to fight in court (paying legal fees totalling at that point $2k) to get back his legal claim already on the property.

What was further interesting is why they do this. It isn't the house itself but rather getting a mortgage on the house and taking the money and running. In this case, the thief went for a $110,000 mortgage (about half of what the house is worth) and easily approved without much checking. If the thief had gotten away with it, guess who gets footed with the mortgage?? (and no, it's not the bank.) Thankfully, this bank manager was somewhat savvy and called the police in. A sting later and they had their crook. Meanwhile, poor Joe Homeowner is in courts getting back his house title and good name.

You might want to check how your local authorities do sale checks. In Alberta all that is needed is documents supplied by the buyer (in the examples, these were forged). It's rather surprising that they don't have some mechanism that requires the seller (I guess it's to make the deals able to pass faster by not having both parties present).

Source: CFCN-CTV News

Many people put a lot of time and energy securing their home and property from thieves.

But security systems and a dog can't protect you from a thief stealing the home itself.

At least two Calgary families have had their property snatched out from under them by crooks using the province's Land Titles Office.

All a thief needs is your street address and some fake ID.

Then that person can go to a provincial registry office and get a copy of their victim's title report.

With that document, it is relatively simple for someone to forge documents to transfer the land and related affidavits.

Once the title is in the hands of a criminal, they can apply for a loan and make off with the cash before anyone finds out about it.

The ease with which the fraud can be done makes many homeowners angry more isn't done to protect them.

There isn't much people can do to protect themselves.

Running a title search on your property can confirm that you are still the registered owner but the scam can be completed in less than one month.

Under Alberta law, the Land Titles Office is responsible for any loss homeowners suffer due to mistakes it makes on their titles, even those resulting from fraud.

Ten per cent of land title fees are also put into a compensation fund used to pay victims.