Re: Sounds like a new scam

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

Anything recorded at the courthouse becomes public information for anyone interested. My husband and I are interested in buying 2 pieces of property that join ours, and went to the courthouse to find out who owns it, the value, and tax history.

Someone I know sued an ex-boyfriend thru our magistrate court system, for money owed to her. Within days after filing the paperwork at the courthouse, the woman received a letter from a well known TV show filmed in CA, offering her the opportunity to have her court appearance filmed for their show. She ignored the letter, and then someone from the show started calling her. The woman made it very clear she was not interested, and they finally backed off and left her alone. All the contact information they needed was on the documents she filed with the magistrate court system.

Q4u · ‎03-17-2010

@Imadickens wrote:
I know in my area people troll this way for real estate listings (unscrupulous agents read obits), antique dealers want to get in first, and yes, criminals. I would notify PD house is empty and tell them about email you got. In our town PD does property checks on empty premises each day. Plus, it lets patrols know to look for any unusual activity, like a "workman" w/ a van parked in driveway! ( crooks use vans marked as a legit business to empty houses in broad daylight!) Always beware of any unsolicited email! (Or any type contact!)

When I was selling antiques, I knew a dealer who did this~!! I was sickened, absolutely horrified. Dealers like this give the Antique Business a very bad name.

I also agree that your situation sounds very fishy and I wouldn't have any contact with him. And just because I'm suspicious by nature, I might even go so far as to change my phone number so it's no longer whatever the number is on line (for a search payment) or what's on the court papers....

*~"Never eat more than you can lift......" Miss Piggy~*

Isobel Archer · ‎04-04-2015

I'm confused about how your dad's father's house is in probate and this person sent a text to your mom's cell phone asking about this house. How would he connect the two? If he could get your mom's cell phone number, he could certainly have gotten the address of the house without contacting you. And why would he text you if he planned to rob the house?

None of this is making any sense to me.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

@Isobel Archer,

The will has been probated. Contact information was provided by the person who probated it. Everyone named as a beneficiary in that will receives a letter informing them they were named as a beneficiary in so and so's will. All of that is public information at the courthouse.

Isobel Archer · ‎04-04-2015

@RedTop wrote:
@Isobel Archer,
The will has been probated. Contact information was provided by the person who probated it. Everyone named as a beneficiary in that will receives a letter informing them they were named as a beneficiary in so and so's will. All of that is public information at the courthouse.

I'm not understanding how that answered any of my questions. Are you saying that her mom's cell phone number (but not her dad's - who is the primary beneficiary) is somehow public information as a result of this probate? Or that the address of the property is NOT public information - so that the person had to text her mom to get it?

ccassaday · ‎10-21-2010

Your right none of it made sense. That's why it was probably a scam. He never did contact my dad.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

I've been involved in the probate process for 3 wills; none of the courthouse paperwork I saw, or have copies of, had the physical address of the property of deceased. The one property we sold was to someone who had expressed interest years before, so when he was given first chance to buy, he jumped at it, and it was a done deal in no time.

In my opinion, if this contact came thru a cell phone where that number was not provided in the probate process, the person who made the call knew exactly how to get the cell number! The scammer is someone they know, or someone who knows them.