I flew in to surprise my 18-year-old son at the $400,000 beach house I bought for him
Inside were dates, wire transfers, loan numbers, property addresses, and names: Richard, Helen, David, Chloe—and mine.
Beside my name was $400,000.
Liam handed me a copy of a recorded document.
Eight months earlier, I had legally purchased the beach house in my name. The deed sent to me after closing was absolutely genuine.
But five days later, someone had recorded a quitclaim deed transferring the property from me to a company called Atlantic Crest Holdings.
The signature resembled mine.
But it wasn’t.
“Who owns the company?” I whispered.
“Grandpa owns most of it. Dad and Aunt Chloe own the rest.”
Six weeks after the fraudulent transfer, Atlantic Crest Holdings used my debt-free house as collateral for a $280,000 loan.
Richard’s construction business had been failing. David had invested heavily in it, and Chloe had massive personal debts. They had borrowed against the house to save themselves.
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