BOSTON HEIGHTS, Ohio — Sometimes, a sign says it all.
Earlier this month, Scott Schleider felt forced to put up a sign on his 2-acre vacant lot in Boston Heights after he learned someone tried to sell it out from under him.
"Got a call from somebody at Village Hall, and they said 'You listed the property? For this amount of money?'" Schleider recalled. "They were quite surprised."
Boston Heights Police told News 5 that the property was listed “For Sale” by a local agent at Howard Hanna. Police say that the agent communicated with someone claiming to be Scott and Marla Schleider. But data from the digital signatures show the Schleiders were not behind it.
"The best thing I have is possibly the email address originated somewhere over in Europe and Germany," Officer Cameron Bryce said. "This was my first encounter with something like this."
Last year, the Ohio Department of Commerce warned about the rise in fake real estate listings and deed fraud.
"You think this couldn't happen to me or this only happens in Florida or they prey upon older people or something but you never really think this is something that happens, especially here in this area," Marla Schleider said.
That same day, Bryce said they had the listing pulled before any offers were accepted or money changed hands, but that didn’t stop potential buyers from this steal of a deal.
Scott and Marla Schleider told News 5 that the two-acre property was listed for sale for $130,000 despite being valued between $250,000 and $300,000.
"We're still getting calls and letters about this property wondering if I'm selling it or not," Scott Schleider said. "I put the sign on the lot because there was just a lot of people coming out here to check out the lot and see it for themselves, and I just wanted them all to know it's not for sale."
Scott and Marla Schleider bought the property on Meghan's Lane 12 years ago and own it free and clear. They initially planned to build on the property.
"We kept hoping we would live here," Marla Schleider explained.
The Summit County Fiscal Office even placed a “Do Not Transfer” note on the property’s records as a layer of protection.
The Schleiders told News 5 they’re not sure what’s next for the land, and it’s not clear why this specific property was chosen by someone overseas to scam.
But they do understand what may have made it attractive.
"If your house or your vacant land is paid off, no mortgage, no lien, that makes it a target," Scott Schleider said. "They were looking for a very fast, no-strings-attached cash sale right away. We're lucky."
RELATED: Here's why it’s getting easier to steal someone’s home and what you can do about it.
Police confirmed an agent at Howard Hanna made the initial listing. Leadership at Howard Hanna have not responded for this story.
How can you protect yourself from deed theft and fraudulent listings?
Experts told News 5 that time is crucial in cases like this. The more time a criminal has to sell your property and run off with the money, the harder it gets to recover. That’s why many Ohio counties offer free property alerts, a way to notify you if any properties of yours have transferred the day it happens.
To sign up for a free property alert provided by your county of residence, click on your county where your property is located below:
- Ashland County
- Ashtabula County
- Carroll County
- Cuyahoga County
- Erie County
- Geauga County
- Holmes County
- Huron County
- Lake County
- Lorain County
- Medina County
- Portage County
- Richland County
- Stark County
- Summit County
- Tuscarawas County
- Wayne County
Clay LePard is a special projects reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on Twitter @ClayLePard, on Facebook Clay LePard News 5 or email him at Clay.LePard@WEWS.com.
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