And thats what they did.
A New York developer, Ollie Development LLC bought the lot for $230,000.
“It was never for sale,” she says, and she contacted a lawyer.
Why are residents of Shirley Gibson’s neighborhood, Coconut Grove, just south of Miami being targeted?
Well, Shirley will tell you the answer is pretty straightforward.
I’ve got so many calls from uh different uh developers and realtors that would like to buy it.
And I said, no.
And that’s what they did.
Fifty other people who had their properties put up for sale without their knowledge.
[00:03:12] Phil Prazen: And remember, all of these are, seem to be vacant lots.
That doesn’t exist.
[00:03:38] Bob: And there’s something else.
Real estate deals often involve multiple layers of people, and during COVID-19, everything goes online.
So it’s even harder to know what’s real and what’s fraud.
Even easier for someone to sell a property they don’t actually own.
And they, the real estate agent goes, sure, you know.
They are looking for masses of property to, to turn.
[00:05:22] Bob: Nobody ever checked to see if this is a real person.
Do you own it individually?
What’s your mortgage, you know, all that information is publicly available.
Perhaps the notary is in on it.
At least it looks that way, especially when authorities track down the notary in Africa.
[00:07:13] Shirley Gibson: Yes.
[00:07:14] David Winker: On a trip.
So it looks so suspicious, right?
And he, luckily for him, you know was able to show like that’s not my stamp.
It has a palm tree instead of a capital building.
But basically, was able to show like this is not me.
[00:07:56] David Winker: Most of the cases involved almost all, involve elderly people.
And the reason why is, older people have property that doesn’t have mortgages.
Younger people, even wealthy younger people tend to have a mortgage on their property.
[00:08:23] Bob: Sales that involve properties without mortgages are much, much simpler.
There’s a lot less friction that can happen more quickly.
So it’s easier to commit fraud.
Phil hears this too from victim after victim, and it seems like the criminals are relentless.
Yep, you know what “Home for Sale” signs look like.
These are “Not for Sale” signs.
Shirley has to put one up on her lot.
I’ll send you a picture today.
A New York developer, Ollie Development LLC, bought the lot for $230,000.
“It was never for sale,” she says, and she contacted a lawyer.
But they don’t know what to do.
[00:10:24] Bob: What do you do as an owner in that situation?
[00:10:50] Bob: So often in these situations, reports to law enforcement seem futile.
But sold by who?
But then, a few weeks later, breaking news.
[00:11:15] Anchor: (news clip) Well, now to a series of scams tonight.
NBC 6 investigators have reported on all spring.
Three people are now behind bars accused of selling homes they did not own.
NBC 6 investigator, Phil Prazen, shows us what local leaders are doing to stop the scammers.
[00:11:42] Bob: Police deserve credit for hunting down Shirley’s criminals, certainly.
But Prazen thinks Shirley deserves credit for keeping up the pressure.
They don’t even know if they’re in the country, right.
That’s really impressive.
[00:13:08] Phil Prazen: Yeah, she’s, she’s an impressive person.
[00:13:13] Bob: The suspects are still awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, Shirley is still awaiting return of her property.
Like we’re in process.
We’re doing it, it’s complicated because there’s some tax implications.
This will be the first transaction since her great grandfather had the property.
So that’s what’s taking so long.
[00:14:12] David Winker: I think they were just looking for a lot.
So you know, where are $300,000 empty lots in Miami?
They tend to be in Black neighborhoods that are quickly gentrifying.
So I think that’s a little bit of a component of it.
That’s what makes the lot attractive, a fast moving market, all that kind of thing.
And it seems like systematically um, minority neighborhoods are at risk for this.
Is, is that right?
You know, this is a New York development company looking to purchase vacant lots in Miami, right?
There was recently another attempt to steal her land.
I was there when David had to tell Shirley about it.
Oh, no, but let’s be clear.
One of her other lots is for sale right now.
[00:16:20] Bob: Oh, how about that.
[00:16:22] David Winker: On Zillow.
Let me just, let me just tell Ms. Gibson which one it is.
Is that one with the fence in the front?
[00:16:45] Shirley Gibson: No.
[00:16:46] David Winker: They have it for sale for $100,000.
[00:16:48] Shirley Gibson: That’s where we have the meetings.
[00:16:50] David Winker: Yes, it’s that one.
That one, that’s where we have our community meetings.
So yeah, that one is, uh, it looks like they took it down now.
And you know who it was, [beep].
[00:17:21] Shirley Gibson: Oh man.
And got me in touch with the person.
And I asked for an email, and then I put them in touch with the cops.
We all, we all jump back into action.
You know I; I sent an email to the, the state attorney.
[00:17:49] Bob: Wow.
[00:17:55] David Winker: Crime never rests.
[00:17:57] Bob: Crime never rests.
Well good people never rest either, and I can tell Ms. Gibson never rests.
The title insurance company.
So that makes them a victim.
Of course, in the end, that just means higher costs for all of us.
So as with all crimes, we are all victims in some way.
[00:18:53] Bob: What should people look out for?
[00:18:54] David Winker: Looking for mail, for mail for other people.
Two, look online, google your property.
And certainly notice whether there’s any indication that it’s up for sale.
Winker also thinks there needs to be additional reforms in the property sales process.
And I wish there was a system.
I’ve been scammed before by clients who give me a fake certified check.
It’s happened to me twice.
“Check #153.”
You know, a certified check, right, this is a certified check from Bank of America.
“What’s the check number?”
Would you confirm that you notarized that signature?"
So if somebody was trying to sell his property, they had to go talk to the bank too.
That was a, I feel like a smart idea for some pop in of protection.
[00:21:35] Bob: After her ordeal, Shirley has practical advice to offer landowners.
[00:22:11] Shirley Gibson: Yes.
[00:22:11] Bob: Did I get that right?
[00:22:13] Shirley Gibson: Yes, that’s true.
[00:22:19] Shirley Gibson: Well, I believe in divine intervention.
And I said that this happened to me for a reason, whether it was good or bad.
I think the more people who hear about it, the better.
Well what do you think about all of the attention that the issue’s now getting?
[00:22:50] Shirley Gibson: I’m happy.
And I thank God that I have attorney David Winker.
Remember, she grew up there in a house that has long since been demolished.
[00:23:24] Bob: Wow, that would be amazing.
[00:23:26] Shirley Gibson: It would.
It sounds like such a beautiful place.
[00:23:32] Shirley Gibson: You have an invitation to come down to Coconut Grove.
Call the AARP Fraud Watch online grid Helpline at 877-908-3360.
Their trained fraud specialists can provide you with free support and guidance on what to do next.
That address again is: theperfectscampodcast@aarp.org.
Be sure to find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
For AARP’s The Perfect Scam, I’m Bob Sullivan.
Law enforcement is soon on the trail of the criminals, but will Shirley get her land back?
