Miami Property Scammers, Part 1

Published: Dec. 3, 2021, 5:01 a.m.

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Miami\\u2019s historic West Grove neighborhood has recently become a hot real estate market. So hot, in fact, that it has attracted the attention of scammers.\\xa0It wasn\\u2019t always so.\\xa0Shirley Gibson\\u2019s family has owned property in West Grove since her great-grandmother immigrated from the Bahamas over 100 years ago. Now in her 80s, Shirley had hoped to pass on the property to her niece and nephew.\\xa0But\\xa0when Shirley goes to pay her taxes\\xa0one day, she learns that her property has been sold without her knowledge for $230,000.\\xa0When another of her properties shows up on Zillow, it becomes clear this is not a fluke but an\\xa0elaborate real estate scam, targeting property owners in this historically\\xa0Black neighborhood.\\xa0\\xa0

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