A HOMEOWNER has allegedly had their house sold off behind their back for less than $1 – and they say the fraud is astonishingly easy to carry out.

Caroline Sauer discovered that her late father’s home had been signed over to her ex-husband, using her own signature.

Victor Rodriguez, left, and wife Michelle Cherry, are accused of forging ‘quitclaim deeds’ on homes in FloridaCredit: Hillsborough County Clerk

Rodriguez allegedly falsely transferred ownership of his former father-in-law’s homeCredit: Tampa Police Department

His wife, Cherry, is accused of helping him carry out the fraudCredit: Tampa Police Department

Victor Rodriguez, 50, and his new wife, 33-year-old Michelle Cherry, are accused of forging “quitclaim deeds” on homes in Florida.

A quitclaim deed is a document transferring ownership of a property without the owner’s consent.

They cost as little as 70 cents in processing costs, meaning scammers can forge signatures and walk away with someone’s home for under a dollar.

Most states do not have many laws that make this type of crime more difficult.

“We found out that the titles of my father’s properties had all changed through quitclaim deeds,” said Sauer to local Fox outlet FOX13.

“We questioned, how did this happen? Who forges a deceased person’s signature? Who does that?”

In addition to allegedly taking his former father-in-law’s house in Miami-Dade County, Rodriguez, along with Cherry, are accused of forging records to take claim of another home in Tampa.

Larry and Dreama Bilby, whose home was under construction and unoccupied at the time, were stunned when they learned their property no longer belonged to them.

They were told in February this year that they had supposedly walked into the Hillsborough County Clerk’s office and signed over their home.

“I was so angry, I almost couldn’t talk,” she told FOX13.

Cindy Stuary, Hillsborough County Clerk, said that the forgery requires just “a notary and two signatures with an address listed next to them.”

Rodriguez and Cherry, who were arrested in March, both pleaded not guilty to the fraud charges.

His attorney said in a statement, “We have filed a written plea of not guilty on his behalf.

“Mr Rodriguez maintains his innocence, and our office is entrusted with the responsibility of protecting his rights.

“Because his case is under active litigation, he is protected by both work product privilege and attorney/client privilege.

“We are responsible for ensuring justice and fairness in legal proceedings, protecting Mr Rodriguez’s rights, and upholding the rule of law.

“We cannot provide any further comment that might adversely affect our representation of this client.”

Stuart says she is pushing for tougher legislation to clamp down on quitclaim deed frauds, but she has also warned her clerks to look out for any suspicious behavior from potential scammers.

She said details such as “misspelled names, addresses that don’t appear that they actually exist, misspelled cities,” could all be signs of fraud.

Sauer says she is still fighting her ex-husband to get her father’s house back.

The family has hired a handwriting expert to prove that she didn’t sign the deed.

“The hardest thing for us emotionally has been, we’ve just tried to protect my father and his legacy,” she said.

They are also accused of illegally taking ownership of a house belonging to Larry and Dreama Bilby in TampaCredit: Fox 13