A week ago on Nextdoor social media app, this message was posted: For you Recent Nearby • 5 days ago • Scams are on high speed. Be aware of tittle/deed fraud. Pay attention to your house status. The problem of deed fraud has become endemic in New York. Perpetrators of fraudulent deed transfers have swindled tens of thousands of homeowners out of their homes in the past few years, and the modus operandi of the perpetrator has become all too familiar. The scheme works like this: the culprit forges a homeowner’s signature on a deed which transfers title of the property to a new owner. The forged signature is then notarized in one of three ways: (1) bribing the notary agent to affix their stamp without checking state-issued ID; (2) employing a notary agent to perpetrate illegal activity; or (3) showing the notary public a fake ID in the name of the homeowner. If you have ever needed to get a document notarized, you probably remember the process as being a quick one. The agent’s duty i