The City Assessor’s Office has warned the public against a “sangla titulo” or lot title pawning modus operandi that uses fake or forged real property documents.
City Assessor Normita Ramon said her office has been receiving reports from individuals victimized by people who used forged real estate property titles and tax declarations as collaterals to con persons into providing loans.
“These people agree to provide the money, some out of trust and confidence and some just relying on government IDs shown to them not knowing that these were also fake. They didn’t verify the authenticity of the documents presented to them first then when payment time came and they can’t collect, they came to our office to verify only to find out that the documents they were holding were spurious,” Ramon said.
The city assessor said they were able to capture a number of fake titles and tax declarations from those coming to their office.
She said they were also receiving verification inquiries from other institutions like the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the banks because of the prevalance of fake titles and tax declarations.
Ramon said these fake documents are also used in land sale thus the warning also applies to these transactions.
She said in some cases, they found that the documents were indeed existent but the content had been altered to make it appear that the mortgage is recorded with the office.
To avoid becoming a victim, Ramon issued the following advisory to the public:
*Be cautious before giving money to those selling or mortgaging a house or land.
*Ask for a copy of the title or tax declaration. Get an authorization letter from the seller or mortgagor so you can verify information at the Assessor’s Office. Go to the Registry of Deeds or Assessor’s Office to check if the title and tax declaration provided are up-to-date and genuine.
*Make sure the person you are dealing with is the one named on the documents or ID and is not just pretending. ** Aileen P. Refuerzo
