It is the illicit trade of grifters, who, in the search of suitable scores, scour public rolls for properties behind in taxes or mortgage payments, or simply held for decades by a single owner. Sometimes neighborhood gossip is enough to turn up a house all but abandoned by its owner. Once the mark is settled on, a deed is forged, sometimes with the aid of a compliant notary, and ownership is transferred to the thief. The property is then flipped for a quick profit.