Remember when an in-person hand shake could finalize any deal? The days of digital and online transactions are not necessarily a step forward, according to most of the players in the case of the Ontario property fraud case.

The digital age has provided ways to be very efficient and timely, but it has also led to more ways for scammers to get what they want.

The first sign of impending trouble came in on the evening of November 15, 2024, when Ron Harder of Pearland, Texas received a  phone call from a real estate agent in New York that began with “You don’t sound like the man I have been talking with.” The agent went on to say that she had been contacted by a man claiming to be  Ronald E. Harder, who asked her to list for sale  his land in Ontario, NY.  

The agent sent Ron a copy of the driver’s license she had been forwarded to verify ID. Harder replied that it was a faked Texas Driver’s license. His  name, address and birthdate were correct, but it certainly was not his photo. Texas police later confirmed that the license ID number was falsified,

Harder, who used to live in Webster, but moved to Texas for a job, did indeed own land on Boston Road in Ontario, and had intended at some time to move back and put his retirement home on it. 

He was confused by the call...so much so that he called to check with the Wayne County Clerk’s Office the nect day to be sure the title to his land was indeed in his name. He was assured that it was. Ron then informed the Clerk’s office that it looked like someone might be impersonating him and trying to take is title. 

Time went by, no further communication was received, until Harder received a letter in the mail on 5/13/25 from the Wayne County Clerk’s Office stating that his title to the undeveloped land at 725 Boston Road in Ontario had been successfully transferred/sold to Gerber Homes on 5/8/25, at his request.

Harder contacted the Wayne County Clerk’s Office immediately on the morning of Wednesday 5/14/2025, and spoke with and exchanged e-mails with the Deputy County Clerk. He advised that office he had not requested a change of title, and was provided a copy of a Warranty Deed dated April 24, 2025 that contained a forged signature. The transfer of ownership was fraudulent. The fraud was also reported to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.  

He informed Gerber Homes (the would-be new owner) as well as their  their attorney, Lacy Katzen, LLP about the fraud.

He then spoke with Pamela J. Gardner, the attorney who represented the person who posed as himself. She provided a copy of yet another different fraudulent Texas Driver’s License in the name of Ronald E. Harder. 

David Doebler of Doebler Realty LLC had listed the property for $45,000 on behalf of who he was informed was “Ron Harder” from Texas (It was not). Gerber Homes saw the MLS listing and "bought" the property for $35,000. 

When contacted, John Grazione of Gerber Homes told the Times he had decided to buy the property and had his attorney, Lacy Katzen write up a purchase offer. Gerber Homes sent a check to their attorney, who wired the money to the fraudulent “Ron Harder” and later learned that the funds were sent out of the Country, to the U.K, and to a scammer. Their money was gone. 

Proceeds from the “sale” were wired via Chase Bank to the UK through Zelle, a handy digital payment service that transfers money from bank account to bank account. It did not go to the correct Ron Harder in Texas.

“I have owned 725 Boston Road, Ontario since 1983. I have not sold it. Furthermore, I have paid taxes on the property for 42 years. I’m not hard to find, but I was not contacted at all by anyone before my property was listed, sold, and the title transferred."

The difficulty of proving the fraud and trying to overturn it, has fallen on the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office investigator, Detective Sergeant Robert Mansell.

“There are actually two victims of this fraud,” said Mansell when contacted.
First, the owner of the property who had his title and his property stolen. When we get all the information to prove that fraud was involved, Mr. Harder (the real one) should eventually get his land back. 

Sgt. Mansell said that the Wayne County Judges will have to read through all the evidence and, if they decide there was definitely fraud, they can issue an order to restore the original title back to its rightful owner. It will take time for all the evidence to be reviewed. The second victim, Mansell indicated, was Gerber Homes, who bought the property from a Ronald E. Harder, who no one had ever met in person. They are out $35,000.

Thirteen weeks have now passed, and Harder has been informed by NYS Realty that the MLS still shows Gerber Homes to be the owner of his land. “I have had no contact from either of the attorneys or the real estate agency as to a resolution of the situation, or for that matter, even an apology. I have had no contact from the County Clerk as to the restoration of my land title.”

When the Times spoke with Mike Jankowski, the Wayne County Clerk, he noted that there is a definite procedure to follow for a transfer of title. He indicated that a request must be made from the title holder (guarantor), with notarized proof of their ID before a change can be made. A letter is then sent to the original title holder indicating that the change has been filed. 

Those procedures were followed, but the notary’s identity and the drivers’ license used for ID were apparently fraudulent, unknown to the Clerk’s office.  The letter to the real Ron Harder in Texas was the proper procedure and led to Harder making his calls back to Wayne County. Until fraud is proven and a Judge can order the order to overturn the change, the Clerk’s office cannot change the title back.

This incident and one other that the Wayne County Clerk’s office were made aware of earlier this year, have led to some changes in procedure. The other case was stopped before a sale or a title change, according to Jankowski.

“This is a truly unfortunate event, and we are looking into some changes that we can put in place to try and stop digital fraud, going forward” said Jankowski. All guarantors of property in Wayne County are notified of any filings on their property. Vacant, undeveloped property, especially with owners out of town seem to be targeted most often.

Jankowski also said that by approval of the Wayne County Board of Supervisors, the Clerk’s Office has purchased new software that will allow all title holders (guarantors) to register their information with us in a data base, so they can be notified of any changes or correspondence concerning their property. The software is new and will be online soon. 

Another sad case in New Jersey, mentioned by John Grazione of Gerber Homes, was of a potential (and almost finalized) scam of property that came when a developer purchased land and built a
“spec” house on the property. When the out-of- town actual owner of the property stopped by, he could not believe what was happening, and was able to put a stop to it at the last minute.