This is an oldie but a goodie. It simply means that the same title number
is applied to two parcels so that the idividual appears to own only a small property
but really owns a much larger area.
Perhaps the best example of this scam in action is the Bastar Timber Scam where the
scam resulted in considerable loss of Indian native forest cover.
The same title number scam in that situation involved scamsters buying a piece of land
adjoining a forest area which had the same serial number as a large area of forest land. The
perps were then able to strip the forest land and obviously claim mistake if they were caught out.
The potential for two parcels to have the same title number is inherent in any land titling system where
the system is not set up to detect this problem.
An example of the land documents showing one of these situations of two parcels with
the same title number is shown below.
In the first image smaller parcel is selected and has the property identification 2972 and the title number 732/1 (the numbers
have been altered for privacy reasons). The second image shows the selection of the much larger surrounding parcel of land. Both the
property identification and the title references are the same. In other words, the LIST system from which these parcel descriptions are
obtained CANNOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN ONE PARCEL OF LAND AND ANOTHER PARCEL.This would seem to be a fundamental flaw in this very
expensive land information system.
There is also an apparent problem in the subdivision of land. When the smaller parcel was subdivided off from the larger parcel
a new folio and new folio number was not created for the smaller parcel. Instead the same folio number
was retained for both parcels - this would seem to be against the law.
In this situation a proprietor of folio 732/1 might be seen as owning a much larger property than at
first appears and this situation should be considered by law enforcement agencies as a motive for crime
is a crime should occur in this area.
This situation would cause problems for a person attempting to buy the smaller parcel of land as he or she would not be able to
detect the larger parcel of land as on inquiry only one version of folio 732/1 would be provided. The larger parcel of land and the other
folio 732/1 would remain invisible. For instance if a proprietor mortgaged folio 732/1 which parcel of land would be mortgaged?
The situation shown above would be advantageous for a proprietor who wanted to pay less rates and land tax as he or she could
claim to only own the smaller parcel of land which hides the larger parcel therefore incurring less municipal rates.
How this situation of similar title numbers arises is complex and will be covered in a later page however it is a situation which is
very easy to rectify as any computerized land information system should have inbuilt programming which prohibits two parcels of land
having the same unique identifier, title or folio number.
You can read about the Bastar Timber Scam by following this link.
