---

Aug. 26.

With reference to the tragic story of Paul Reviczky who was a victim of mortgage fraud, I am both shocked and appalled at the response of the justice system. I was almost in a state of shock when I read the words of his lawyer Tonu Toome who is reported as saying "it was very painful" to have to break the news that he may lose his house forever, even though he was an innocent victim of fraud.

 

In this security-conscious, post 9/11 climate, how is it possible for mortgage fraud to go undetected? How did the $450,000, alleged to have been paid by purchaser Pegman Meleknia get cashed or transfered to "Aaron Paul Reviczky" if that is a fraudulent identity?

 

Where did the money go? If the state or the government can seize property (including real estate) in the case of drug trafficking, how is it that no record of where the money went seems to exist in these mortgage fraud cases? I am truly horrified that any person's real estate holdings could (and it would seem fairly easily) become a casualty of this form of mortgage fraud. My own experience of getting a mortgage for the first time left me feeling that my privacy had been thoroughly invaded and my financial history throughly scrutinized by my lending institution which checked, double-checked and confirmed all manner of confidential personal financial details prior to the purchase of the property and the approval of the mortgage. Surely, there is a paper trail or, more likely, a digital trail. Why is it not simply a case of "follow the money?" Am I wrong in thinking that no bank in the world would simply let $337,500 (the cost of the mortgage) be withdrawn or transferred without a trace?

 

The possibility of this form of fraud should strike fear and terror in the heart of every homeowner and the justice system and the law enforcement authorities should make solving and preventing these kinds of fraudulent crimes among their highest priorities.

Good grief! This is ludicrous. In order to get a DVD rental card, I had to present photo ID and three other pieces of identification. The post office needed the same, plus mortgage documents, to switch over the use of a postbox to my name when I moved. And yet the title to one's home can be changed by any hacker with a modicum of computer skills? Give me a break. This is a perfect example of governmental agencies "fiddling while Rome burns." Fix this and fix it now.

Dale M. Peacock, Baysville, Ont.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1156716608376&call_
pageid=970599119419