‘Sleepless nights’: Couple says scammers sold their house behind their back

CHARLOTTE — It’s been a long walk for the Humphreys.

The couple bought land near West Sugar Creek Road in 2021. They didn’t plan to sell it but say scammers were able to sell the property to Northway Homes.

They say imposters stole their identities, made fake IDs, went to a closing attorney and signed papers to sell the property. Then the company subdivided the land into three lots to develop.

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“Sleepless nights. I just feel violated,” Jean Humphrey told Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We were minding our business.”

“Real estate fraud is rampant,” said the Humphreys’ lawyer, Charlie Hands III. He was not the one who did the closing. “The actual real Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey never signed this deed, transferring their property.”

But Northway Homes says it can’t give the property back yet. The company says it filed a claim with its title insurance to get its money back. It says once that happens, it will give the Humphreys their land back.

“They should be able to get their property back and then Northway Homes will have to just deal with whatever consequences that they have to deal with to get their money back on their end,” Hands said.

“It’s wrong. Color it what you want. It is wrong. They need to give our land back. They need to give it to us now,” Humphrey said.

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But the company says it can’t return the property until it gets paid because it needs to stay the owner to pursue the insurance claim. In the meantime, the Humphreys are out of the property.

Ways to prevent this crime:

- You can look into title lock companies, but Action 9 hears mixed reviews.

- Freeze your credit. That way, even if someone steals your identity, they can’t do as much damage with it.

- Most counties have a system you can sign up for. It’ll alert you if someone does anything involving your property, and it’s free. To sign up in North Carolina, click here.

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