Did You Know It's EASY For Criminals To Steal Your Land And Property In Texas?

A Dallas area Pastor is going to prison for the next 35 years after he claimed to be the owner of 3 churches in the Dallas area and he paid a grand total of $10 to take the properties.

How did he do it you ask? It's called "Deed Fraud" and apparently is a HUGE problem in Texas and state legislators are SCRAMBLING to rectify this issue before it gets worse.

Dallas News Station WFAA Has Done A Series Of Reports About This Scam.

According to WFAA, Texas ranks No. 2 in the nation for deed fraud cases investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General.

Since 2019, WFAA’s “Dirty Deeds” investigation has exposed thieves stealing not only a church, but dozens of homes, a former restaurant, and even an entire former Sam’s Club building. Some thieves have even been able to steal property FROM PRISON.

Here's How It Works...

Whenever someone buys or sells a property in any county in the United States, documents typically must be filed with the county clerk or equivalent government office.

But when those documents are filed in Texas, for example, no one routinely checks to see if it’s legit. In Dallas County alone, 400,000 documents are flooded into their office annually.

Thieves have been able to take advantage of the system often picking abandoned and neglected properties, figuring the real owners aren’t paying attention. They then file the paperwork for ownership with the County and now the property is theirs without having to show any proof of identification or proof of ownership.

In the case of Whitney Foster, the pastor of the True Foundation Non-Denominational Church, who was convicted of felony theft in connection with three churches he stole. Foster received a 35-year sentence in prison for the scheme.

Now Texas Lawmakers Are Scrambling To Stop It, But There's Still Loopholes

One bill written by Rep. Yvonne Davis, D-Dallas, would allow county clerks across the state to require property owners filing a deed in person to provide photo identification and make a copy of it. Counties would be required to reject deed filings from people who don’t have or refuse to provide photo ID.

Another bill, written by State Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, allowed county clerks in counties with populations above 800,000 to require people to show valid photo ID. It didn’t, however, contain a provision that allowed county clerks to refuse to accept documents transferring ownership when someone wouldn’t or couldn’t show ID.

Instead of approving Davis’ stricter bill, the GOP CONTROLLED Texas Legislature approved Goldman’s bill, which only covered 10 counties and lacked a provision allowing clerks to reject deeds without photo IDs which means criminals can STILL steal your property depending on where you live.

Currently, only Harris County requires property owners to provide photo IDs when filing deeds in person. We recommend you read up on the details of this story so you don't get got.