Forged deed and mortgage fraud cost Georgia couple their home

A Georgia couple lost their longtime family home after a forged deed led to a reverse mortgage they claimed they never signed, according to reporting from WSB-TV.

James and Lucretia Klucken said they began receiving notices in 2019 about repayment on a $50,000 reverse mortgage tied to James’ family property. After reviewing the documents, James, who had power of attorney for his late grandmother’s estate, discovered his signature had been forged on the warranty deed.

After filing a complaint with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the case was deemed a civil matter. By the time the couple hired a handwriting expert who confirmed the forgery, foreclosure proceedings had already begun, leading them to ultimately be evicted from their home.

The disputed deed had been notarized by a closing attorney and a witness whom the Kluckens say they never met. After the home was foreclosed, it was also sold at auction to Maverick Land Company LLC, despite the couple’s claims that the company knew that the home’s documents were fraudulent.

They have since filed a lawsuit against Maverick Land Company. The company later offered more than $300,000 to settle, but the Kluckens declined.

Fraud is a pressing concern across real estate transactions. FundingShield reported that nearly 47% of Q1 2025 closings showed red flags for wire or title fraud, the highest rate on record.

Mortgage fraud is up 7.3% year over year, according to Cotality’s National Mortgage Application Fraud Risk Index for the first quarter of 2025. As fraud continues to be on the rise, the FBI recently renewed a warning to Americans about an app that could trick victims into losing their entire banking, savings, retirement or investment accounts.

Industry experts say lenders, servicers and consumers can mitigate risk by monitoring county property records, leveraging title protection services and ensuring loan files are independently reviewed.