Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin announced two lawsuits against individuals allegedly stealing homes with fraudulent paperwork during a press conference Sept. 9.
Current situation
The lawsuits stem from the Harris County Attorney’s Office’s investigations into scammers committing deed fraud, Kamin said. According to a news release, scammers file fraudulent paperwork to obtain deeds to homes, selling or renting them to unsuspecting buyers or tenants.
Kamin said the scammers are tricking notaries into signing paperwork, faking identities on documents and passing forged deeds back and forth to cover their tracks. Deed fraud is sometimes committed without homeowners knowing, Kamin said.
“Homeownership is how families build stability and pass on something to the next generation,” Kamin said. “When that gets stolen through fraud, it’s not just a financial loss, it’s a betrayal of trust in the systems that are supposed to protect us.”
The details
The lawsuits cover 10 homes in Harris County that the County Attorney’s Office alleges have been stolen. The scammers target families of different socioeconomic backgrounds, Kamin said.
In some instances, scammers target dead homeowners to take the deed before their heirs know what happened, Kamin said. In other instances, she said, families discovered their deed had been stolen after finding people living in their homes.
Keata Wade, who lost her grandmother’s home to deed fraud, said houses are how families like hers establish generational wealth.
A title transfer for her grandmother’s home on Teton Street was filed with the Harris County Clerk’s Office in July 2023, and another transfer was filed in March 2025, according to court documents. Wade and her family members have lost possession of the house, the documents state.
“Today, people we do not know are living in a family house that rightfully belongs to my family,” Wade said. “This home is property my grandmother purchased to remain in my family for years and for us to pass on for generations to come.”
Before you go
County residents can check to make sure no transfers have been filed for their home’s deed. If homeowners believe a suspicious filing has been made, they can file a complaint with the County Attorney’s Office.
In addition to checking deed filings at least once a year, Kamin said it is also important for residents to keep their wills up to date and make their families aware of what is included in them.
To check that unauthorized changes haven’t been made to your deed:
To report scams:
