In Philadelphia, a notary public was recently charged with stealing over 20 homes through forged signatures and backdated documents — properties that, on paper, were hers to transfer. But in reality, these homes belonged to families, to heirs, to communities.
Gwendolyn Schell, the notary in question, is now facing more than 30 felony charges, including conspiracy, theft, and forgery.
But her case isn’t just about one person’s crime. It’s about a larger, ongoing risk: when title records are unclear or outdated, property becomes vulnerable — and sometimes, it disappears.
Schell’s scheme targeted homes she believed no one was paying attention to — vacant houses, properties where the owner had passed away, or homes without clearly updated titles. Using her position, she allegedly forged the necessary documents to transfer ownership to herself or others and then sold the properties to unsuspecting buyers.
This kind of fraud doesn’t require breaking in. It only requires opportunity — and in cities with thousands of tangled titles, opportunity is everywhere.
The Bigger Issue: Tangled Titles Create Real Risk
Philadelphia has an estimated 10,000+ tangled titles — properties where the name on the deed doesn’t reflect the rightful owner. Sometimes it’s because a parent passed away without a will. Other times, it’s because heirs never formally transferred ownership. Whatever the cause, when legal ownership isn’t clearly established, the door is wide open for abuse.
Fraudsters know how to look for these gaps. The challenge is that most families don’t even know the gaps exist.
Seek Research Was Built to Prevent Situations Like This
When ownership is unclear or records are outdated, it leaves room for abuse. Our goal is to close the gaps that lead to this kind of exploitation — not just to protect individual families, but to protect the integrity of entire communities.
We step in to verify history, locate heirs, and work with trusted attorneys to resolve title the right way — with verified records, legal clarity, and outcomes that hold up in court.
How Families Can Stay Protected
If you think a property in your family may still be in a relative’s name — or you’re unsure about a house someone left behind — here are a couple immediate steps:
- Check the title. Just because a property is “yours” doesn’t mean the legal record reflects that.
- Sign up for local deed monitoring alerts. In Philadelphia, you can register for notifications when your property records are updated.
Why It Matters
This kind of fraud doesn’t happen by chance — it happens in the gaps that are left exposed.
But when ownership is clear and records are right, those gaps close — and so does the opportunity for theft.
