Previous alerts on this issue have been sent in 2009, 2010, 2018 and 2022.
On April 12, 2022, The Fund released an alert regarding an increase in the volume of fraud scams concerning vacant lots; the most common being an unencumbered vacant property whose owner lives outside of the United States. The fraudster poses as the legitimate owner of the property and (in most instances) forges a deed from the true owner to our insured owner(s). A claim arises when the true owner of the property comes forward to challenge the insured deed, many times in the form of a suit to quiet title.
In almost all the claims associated with this type of fraud, the seller documents (including the insured deed) were allegedly executed and notarized abroad (allegedly at the U.S. Embassy in said foreign country) and returned to the Member’s office via FedEx or related postal service. A significant trend we have identified is the notary block is a forgery as well.
As part of your due diligence in helping The Fund stem the tide of this type of fraudulent transaction, upon your receipt of the signed documents and prior to closing, pay special attention to the following notaries and notary locations as they have all been found to be forged notary blocks:
Download Notary Fraud List
Notary Fraud List
| Notary |
Location of Acknowledgement |
| Alfredo Silva |
Miami, Florida |
| Alison Dilworth |
Dubai |
| Anapama Prattipati |
Wassenaer, Netherlands |
| Carol Taylor |
Lehigh, Pennsylvania |
| Caroline Aillet |
Texas |
| Charles Rostan Guthrie |
London, UK |
| David Bannick |
Alachua County, Florida |
| David Bannick |
Manatee County, Florida |
| Douglas Dickinson |
Florida |
| Ellen Wong |
London, UK |
| Eric Guadiosi |
Berlin, Germany |
| Eric Newton |
Johannesburg South Africa |
| Fabian Ikenna Aiogwu |
Lagos, Nigeria. South Africa |
| Fabio Saturni |
Pretoria, South Africa |
| Fernando Jose Arriaga Zelaya |
Texas |
| Gerald Castro |
Broward County, Florida |
| Gordon Church |
Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Greg Lirette |
Clearwater, Florida |
| Heather Griffin |
Indiana |
| Hope N. Lauria, Trustee |
Harris, Texas |
| Hugh Daly |
Mesa County, Colorado |
| Jacqueline Hooker |
Florida |
| John St. Pierre |
Texas |
| Jonathan Acosta |
Florida |
| Joseph McCallum |
Grahamstown, South Africa |
| Judy Montague |
Davidson Co., Tennessee |
| Kathleen Bradshaw |
Bronx, New York |
| Kent Clark |
Sarasota, Florida |
| Lesmine Fairweather |
Bronx, New York |
| Luis Rojas |
Florida |
| Marc Nelson |
Stockholm, Sweden |
| Mariah L. Miller |
Sarasota, Florida |
| Marie C. Damour |
Hanoi, Vietnam |
| Muhammad Mehdi Ali |
Harris, Texas |
| Noofan Menwar |
Bronx, New York |
| Philip Reeker |
London, UK |
| Ricardo Henry |
Miami, Florida |
| Robert Rowse |
Randsburg, South Africa |
| Roger C. Rigaud |
Monterry, Mexico |
| Rosemary Gallant |
London, UK |
| Shimin Guo |
State of Florida |
| Stephen Foster |
Miami, Florida |
| Stephen Jacques |
Ha Noi, Vietnam |
| Stephen Thomson |
South Africa |
| Stephen Thomson |
Sandton, South Africa |
| Steve Green |
Ha No, Vietnam |
| Steven Foster |
Miami, Florida |
| Terri L. Scott |
New Jersey |
| Virginia Blaser |
Pretoria, South Africa |
If the acknowledgement block on your insured deed includes any of the above listed notaries, please be on high alert as you may have a vacant lot identity theft scam on your hands.
Ultimately, you should always exercise caution in closing any transaction in which a seller who is not personally known to you and is executing a deed outside of your presence. Inquiry and diligence are key in avoiding forgery and fraud.
If you have any questions, contact Underwriting or Risk Management.