I bought my house – then it sold for just $10, I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t bothered to check my taxes

A HOMEOWNER was shocked to learn his million-dollar property was no longer in his name and had reportedly been sold for just $10.

The 72-year-old from Athens, Georgia, made the discovery by chance while checking his home’s tax returns.

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After not receiving his last tax declaration, the businessman called the tax office and was informed that the deed had been cancelled.

“She said, ‘You gave up the deed in September 2022,’ and I said, ‘No, I didn’t,’” he told the Athens Banner-Herald last year.

“I went down and sure enough someone forged my signature,” he said.

“They screwed up a little bit,” he added, noting that his signature and the forged one were different.

Despite never touching the deed, the documents proved that the property belonged to a woman named Mary Anthony.

“The deed stated that he agreed to sign over his property to Anthony for $10,” stated a police report seen by the Banner-Herald.

After notifying police, the unidentified owner filed a complaint alleging the deed was fraudulent and urged the city to take further action to protect the owners.

“I filed a statement demonstrating that this is fraudulent. Legally, I have to do this, but somehow the city needs to be more aware,” he said.

The businessman was shocked that the city believed he would give away his house for just $10 when it is worth more than $1 million.

Despite being unable to discover who Mary Anthony is, the man claimed that the fraudulent deed had been notarized.

“I know the notary’s details,” he told the media outlet, adding that identification details such as a driver’s license and address must be provided.

However, he warned authorities that there were numerous “red flags” regarding the quitclaim deed that should not have been approved.

“It’s serious. You don’t know how these people can come and do something out of the ordinary,” he said.

The owner believes that the scammers would try to mortgage the property.

However, the chances of fraudsters being caught are slim, according to Athens-Clarke Police Lt. Jody Thompson.

Thompson told the news outlet that such real estate frauds have occurred in the city before, but prosecutions are nonexistent.

“I don’t remember us being able to prosecute anyone because we couldn’t find them,” he said.

The senior has since signed up for a program called Filing Activity Notification Systems, which alerts homeowners to any activity related to their property documents.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department has been contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, a Detroit woman was able to successfully convict the man who stole two of her properties for multiple crimes thanks to indisputable evidence.