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Gov. Cuomo will launch crackdown on Brooklyn deed fraud
The state’s Department of Financial Services will investigate deed fraud in Brooklyn at the behest of Gov. Andrew Cuomo after a heart-wrenching report from The New York Times shined a light on the deceptive practice. Cuomo also directed the department’s Foreclosure Relief Unit to assist homeowners who believe they may have been a victim of deed fraud or other schemes relating to the sale of their property.
“The illegal and deceptive actions to rob New Yorkers of their homes reported [Monday] are disgraceful and must be stopped,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Anyone found guilty of this repugnant behavior will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The practice, stealing the title of a home, has become rampant in gentrifying sections of Brooklyn. Communities of color in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights—both coveted for their stock of brownstone townhouses—have become frequent targets of the crime that can involve coercing a homeowner into signing forms that transfer ownership of their building. Property owners in Prospect Heights, Brownsville, and East New York have also been victimized.
Homeowners who believe they may have been a victim of deed fraud should call the state’s Foreclosure Relief Hotline at 1-800-342-3736, or visit the Department of Financial Service’s website for more information or to file a complaint.
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