Attorney General James combats deed theft with door-to-door outreach
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Attorney General Letitia James visited New York City residents Saturday to warn of deed theft scams. Eagle photo by Noah Singer.
By Jonathan Sperling
Amid a growing number of homeowner scams that particularly target older New Yorkers, state Attorney General Letitia James has launched a direct outreach initiative aimed at combating deed theft and raising awareness of similar fraud.
Jame’s new Protect Our Homes initiative, which launched Saturday, features a dedicated complaint process for those who believe they have been a victim of deed theft — a practice in which perpetrators forge property documents or trick homeowners into signing away their houses.
“There’s a significant number of vulnerable individuals who just don’t know where to go. And I want all of them to know that people care about them and that we are here to help,” James said at the event Saturday.
Deed thieves often target elderly Queens residents, particularly people of color, and it is common in high-demand areas, such as parts of Queens and Brooklyn. In 2018, for example, a Jamaica man was charged with attempting to swindle a 101-year-old neighborhood out of his 143rd Street home.
Queens’ St. John’s University School of Law has tackled the persistent fraud affecting low-income seniors through the Consumer Justice for the Elderly: Litigation Clinic, an in-house, one-semester civil litigation and advocacy clinic. The program’s work points to the extent of the real estate fraud problem.
Since 2010, the number of Queens residents aged 65 years or older has increased by an estimated 2.2 percent while the overall population has increased by nearly 140,000 people, according to U.S. Census estimates. In 2010, there were 286,146 Queens residents aged 65 or older, a total that accounted for 12.8 percent of the borough’s population. As of July 2017, the U.S. Census estimates that there were roughly 353,787 Queens residents over 65, or 15 percent of the population.
The Office of the Attorney General also stated that it was in the process of developing a program to educate faith leaders, senior center workers, home health aides, and others who regularly engage with deed theft victims — many of them seniors — so that they can spot the warning signs, report the scams and connect the homeowner to James’ office.
“Homeownership is the cornerstone of every community, but for decades, long-time homeowners in rapidly gentrifying areas have been the prime targets of schemes to steal their homes,” James said in a statement. “Deed theft is a heartless crime foisted on people who worked all their lives to achieve a vital piece of the American Dream, only to have that dream become a nightmare.
James also announced the creation of an interagency taskforce that will include district attorneys in New York City and the New York City Sheriff's Office. The task force would better coordinate law enforcement response to deed theft and other forms of real estate fraud, James’ office said.
“My office is committed to working with our law enforcement and community partners to use a combination of education and enforcement action to help our neighbors protect their homes,” James continued.
Victims of deed theft, or their friends and loved ones, can call the Protect Our Homes helpline at 1-800-771-7755, email deedtheft@ag.ny.gov or fill out the attorney general’s online complaint form.
