corporate seal forgery
Properties held in corporate names are being transferred without legitimate board resolution or shareholder approval, through the use of forged company seals, fabricated minutes of directors’ meetings, and misuse of company officers’ signatures — leaving genuine shareholders without the assets they believed the company held.
When real property is held in the name of a Jamaican registered company, the right to sell or encumber that property rests with the company’s directors, acting within their authority under the Companies Act and the company’s articles. Fraudulent transactions involving company-owned property typically involve a director or officer who exceeds their authority, who acts without board approval, or who forges company documentation to present themselves as having authority they do not possess.
The attestation of property transfer documents in Jamaica requires the signature of a Justice of the Peace or other authorised witness. Fraudsters who cannot obtain genuine JP cooperation have impersonated JPs, forged their signatures, or induced JPs to witness documents without properly verifying the signatory’s identity.
Duplicate certificate of title fraud occurs when a second certificate is fraudulently obtained for land that already has a registered title. Whether through false statutory declarations of loss or through insider manipulation of land registry records, duplicate titles have been used to facilitate fraudulent sales and mortgage transactions in Jamaica.
The digitisation of property-related processes in Jamaica has created new fraud vectors alongside its many administrative benefits. Forged PDF title documents, manipulated valuation reports, and fraudulent electronic transfers of funds have all been recorded in connection with Jamaican property transactions. The Cybercrimes Act 2015 creates specific criminal offences for computer-related fraud.
A power of attorney is a legitimate instrument that allows a property owner to authorise another person to deal with their land on their behalf. In Jamaica, it has been systematically abused by attorneys-in-fact who exceed their authority, act after the donor’s death, or are appointed under a power that was itself procured by fraud or undue influence.