Grandparents' Stolen Downpayment
Donation protected
Time to Move:
My grandparents, JB & Mary had lived in the same place in South Texas (Corpus Christi) for 30 years. At 86 with both of them heart patients, and my grandfather suffering from dementia, they wanted to be closer to their family so Granny & D-Daddy (as we call them) decided to move one last time. The search was on for a house in North Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth Area) and they looked and looked until they found the perfect house just a block away from my mother, their daughter, in Frisco, TX. This was to be their last home so they sold their little condo, cashed in some of their retirement and cobbled together all they had for their downpayment.
Closing Day:
Two days after Christmas, all their belongings in boxes had made the trek of over 400 miles and closing day was finally here! Granny and D-Daddy signed all the papers and the title company asked for their cashiers check. It was then that the heartbreaking news came to light.
The Problem:
The title company's email had been compromised and false instructions on wiring the downpayment were given by a thief. JB & Mary wired their down payment to what they believed was the title company and awaited closing on their forever home. When they went to closing, the error was discovered and they realized that their life savings of just over $100,000 had been stolen.
How to help:
Granny & DDaddy have signed a lease on an apartment and we are in talks with the police and the FBI because of the nature of the case, but don't know how long anything will take and whether they will ever be able to get anything back so I started this account to help my grandparents hopefully find a way to move into a home like they had so hoped.
My grandparents, JB & Mary had lived in the same place in South Texas (Corpus Christi) for 30 years. At 86 with both of them heart patients, and my grandfather suffering from dementia, they wanted to be closer to their family so Granny & D-Daddy (as we call them) decided to move one last time. The search was on for a house in North Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth Area) and they looked and looked until they found the perfect house just a block away from my mother, their daughter, in Frisco, TX. This was to be their last home so they sold their little condo, cashed in some of their retirement and cobbled together all they had for their downpayment.
Closing Day:
Two days after Christmas, all their belongings in boxes had made the trek of over 400 miles and closing day was finally here! Granny and D-Daddy signed all the papers and the title company asked for their cashiers check. It was then that the heartbreaking news came to light.
The Problem:
The title company's email had been compromised and false instructions on wiring the downpayment were given by a thief. JB & Mary wired their down payment to what they believed was the title company and awaited closing on their forever home. When they went to closing, the error was discovered and they realized that their life savings of just over $100,000 had been stolen.
How to help:
Granny & DDaddy have signed a lease on an apartment and we are in talks with the police and the FBI because of the nature of the case, but don't know how long anything will take and whether they will ever be able to get anything back so I started this account to help my grandparents hopefully find a way to move into a home like they had so hoped.
Organizer and beneficiary
Andrew James Zapata
Organizer
Frisco, TX
Mary Word
Beneficiary
