‘Felt like I died,’ cries mom after realizing her home of 13 years now belongs to someone in Austria – she never sold it
A WOMAN is devastated over having land she owned for over 10 years stolen from her.
The Houston, Texas resident said it really alarmed her when she found that land she had owned for years was mysteriously transferred to someone else without her knowledge.
Though the Houston property Brandilyn Williams owned was just an empty lot, to her, it was the foundation for the future, she shared with local news outlet KRIV.
She had purchased the land 13 years ago in hopes of passing it down to her son one day but now she won't be able to.
"I was just heartbroken," Williams expressed.
"You could hear it in my voice. Every part of me, I felt like I died almost."
More on property
The FBI reports that title theft is a growing crime that robs homeowners owners of hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded 11,727 real estate fraud victims in 2022.
The losses that year were noted to total $350 million.
"I never had a for sale sign out on the property," Williams explained.
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Whoever stole the land from her gave fake information on the title transfer documents.
There was a fake Austrian address on the documents and Williams found that the thieves used a fake passport and a fake ID as well.
"It was my name on a male’s face," she started.
"Brandilyn Williams, my name and the picture was a male's face. And the face on the driver's license, from my understanding, is different from the face that was used on the passport."
Ultimately, the Houston mom filed a lawsuit against the transfer recipient and Select Title, for its handling of the transfer as she didn't authorize it.
Title companies are supposed to ensure clear titles, but Select Title declined to answer our questions.
"I was just heartbroken. You could hear it in my voice. Every part of me, I felt like I died almost."
Brandilyn Williams
"It's just very sophisticated," Williams' attorney Derek Deyon said.
"I mean they have a purported notary in Vienna, Austria who works out of the U.S. Embassy."
Her property was transferred to someone with an office address in Southwest Houston, she found out after getting help from KRIV.
There was a number on the door of the office at the address.
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When the news outlet tried to help Williams make contact with the person who stole her land, they also hit a dead end.
A recording answered saying the number wasn't in service.