A couple returned to their $1,000,000 land only to find someone had built a house on it without permission.
Couple baffled to find someone’s house built on their $1M land without permission
In 1991, a couple named Omar and Halla Jaraki made a significant investment by purchasing a piece of land in Concord, with dreams of building a home to retire in.
Fast forward to the present day, they returned to their property only to discover a shocking sight.
A house had been erected on the land without their knowledge or permission.
They intended for the $1 million land to be the site of their future home.
However, in August, they visited the town to collect their annual tax bill.
They were shocked to learn that the property had been sold for a fraction of its true value.
This revelation marked the beginning of a distressing realization for the couple.
It turned out that they had fallen victim to a deceptive scheme.
Someone had posed as them, orchestrating the sale of the land to an unsuspecting buyer.
The imposter managed to secure the property, take out a mortgage, and start building a new house.
This action shattered the Jarakis’ dreams and violated their rights.
“They stole our dream, our property. They took a mortgage on it. They’re building a house on it,” Omar said.
The couple takes legal action against the scammer
In response to this egregious violation, Omar and Halla took legal action by filing a fraud lawsuit.
They alleged that the perpetrator had used falsified documents, including a fake driver’s license, passport, and email address, to carry out the fraudulent transaction.
By deceiving a real estate agent and two attorneys, the scammer successfully orchestrated the sale of the property.
Their property sold below market value
The seller advertised the land as a prime opportunity to build a dream home in a prestigious neighborhood, enticing an unwitting buyer.
Despite the property’s true value of $1 million, the seller sold it significantly below this price for $699,900.
The new owner proceeded to construct a house on the land, further complicating the situation.
The Jarakis’ legal team quickly found discrepancies in the forged documents.
They noted obvious irregularities in the handwriting and inconsistencies in the photographs.
“The minute I saw this deed, I knew it was a forgery. You just can tell by looking at it. Just the handwriting, it looks off. There were so many other red flags.
“A quick half a million for a counterfeit driver’s license and passport and sending a couple of emails. That’s a day’s work,” he said.
These red flags underscored the criminal nature of the scam, revealing the extent to which the fraudster had gone to perpetrate this deceit.
The attorney stressed how serious the situation was.
He pointed out the bad effects not just for the Jarakis but for others who could be tricked in the future.
It looked hopeful for them to get their property back, but the future of the house built on their land was unclear.
Vetstein said: “That’s not possible because license photos are taken at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The woman in the fake ID’s looks nothing like Halla Jaraki.
“This is a disaster. It’s not only for us but for other people like it’s going to happen to them.”
He added: “They’re definitely going to get their property back. I think the only question is, what do we do about the house?”