From $55 Million Scammer to Crime Fighter: Matthew Cox Unveiled

What if a con artist became a crime fighter? Buckle up for the roller coaster story of Matthew Cox, the mortgage fraud mastermind who turned from predator to ally of law enforcement. From his humble beginnings as a mortgage broker making small tweaks on loan applications to orchestrating a $55 million fraud empire, Cox’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Discover how his small deceptions spiraled into an elaborate web of stolen identities, fabricated appraisals, and title theft, all while he managed to stay under the radar for years.

You’ll also be captivated by the chilling tale of how Cox targeted his own landlord, stealing his identity and maxing out his credit in a desperate bid to evade capture. Hear about the elaborate sting operation that led to his downfall and the jaw-dropping 400-year sentence he faced. In a surprising twist, Cox struck a deal with the government, trading his insider knowledge for a lighter sentence. Tune in to hear how this master con artist served 13 years and learn valuable insights on protecting yourself from similar scams.

📰 Read more about this topic in our latest article: https://sunrisecapitalgroup.com/from-con-artist-to-crime-fighter-the-55m-mortgage-scammer-now-protecting-your-home/

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:25

Okay. So have you ever heard of a con artist becoming like a crime fighter? It sounds like totally made up, right, but this is a wild one. This is the real deal, the story of Matthew Cox. He went from being like this master mortgage fraudster wanted by the Secret Service the whole nine yards to actually working to, you know, prevent these crimes. We're going deep on this one today, digging into an article from Sunrise Capital Group, and let me tell you this thing's got more twists and turns than, I don't know, a roller coaster. So buckle up, because we're going to break down how Cox built this like $55 million empire of lies, the totally unexpected turn his life took and, most importantly, what it all means for you how to protect yourself from this kind of stuff.

Speaker 1: 1:06

So Cox's story it all starts back in the late 90s. He's this young guy right, fresh face, at a mortgage brokerage. Seems like just another suit. But behind that facade he's starting small, making tiny little changes on loan applications. Like picture this erasing a late payment here, bumping up a credit score there. Now you might think, okay, no big deal, right, but that's actually where things get dangerous. It's that classic saying how do you eat an elephant?

Speaker 2: 1:32

One bite at a time.

Speaker 1: 1:33

Exactly.

Speaker 2: 1:33

And that's the thing, those seemingly insignificant actions, they can really snowball. You know, Psychologically it's just easier to justify those little transgressions at first, but then those small steps, they create this like slippery slope. Before you know it you're in way over your head, neck deep in this massive scam.

Speaker 1: 1:50

And snowball it did Cox's crimes. They didn't stop at tweaking applications. We're talking elaborate schemes, stolen identities, even fabricated appraisals, like forging documents to make properties look way more valuable than they actually are. He even got into title theft which, let me tell you, is basically stealing the legal ownership of a property right out from under someone's nose. I mean the audacity of this guy and somehow he managed to stay under the radar for years, raking in millions. They even featured him on Dateline. Can you believe that?

Speaker 2: 2:22

Wow, dateline, that's. That's something else, right? I mean, what was that like for his victims? You know, it's heartbreaking, really, because the thing about white collar crime is it's often hard to detect until it's too late, you know, and by then the perpetrator's often long gone, leaving behind this trail of, like, financial devastation. And it's not just faceless corporations, it's individuals, families, people who, like, trusted him.

Speaker 1: 2:47

And it gets even crazier right, Because he even targeted.

Speaker 2: 2:50

Even his own landlord.

Speaker 1: 2:51

Right, his own landlord. Ok, now we got it. We got to dig into that. Tell me more about that. Yeah, so fill me in what exactly went down with Cox and his landlord.

Speaker 2: 2:59

Oh man, it's a story that'll make you cringe. So picture this. Cox is on the run right, trying to stay one step ahead of the feds. And how does he do it? He uses his own landlord's identity to take out loans, max out credit cards. The whole shebang Basically steals his identity, his credit, even his property.

Speaker 1: 3:19

No way, that's cold man, that's seriously cold.

Speaker 2: 3:22

It gets worse. There's this quote from Cox about the whole thing just sends chills down your spine. He said his only mistake was having the misfortune of crossing my path.

Speaker 1: 3:35

Like it was nothing. Wow, talk about heartless.

Speaker 2: 3:36

Okay, but he couldn't hide forever, right?

Speaker 1: 3:37

He gets caught eventually, yeah 2006, the party's over what happened. Did he finally slip up?

Speaker 2: 3:40

Like a lot of these guys, he got cocky, started making mistakes, ended up getting caught in this whole sting operation.

Speaker 1: 3:45

I bet.

Speaker 2: 3:46

And the potential sentence over 400 years 400 years, are you serious?

Speaker 1: 3:53

That's like longer than most people live. Did he actually end up serving that much time?

Speaker 2: 3:58

Nah, that's where things take another turn. Instead of risking life behind bars, he makes a deal, cooperates with the government, spills the beans in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Speaker 1: 4:07

So he flipped what like a snitch.

Speaker 2: 4:10

Pretty much Ended up serving 13 years.

Speaker 1: 4:12

Still a long time, but a far cry from 400. What was the cooperation about? Like? Was he actually sorry or just playing the system?

Speaker 2: 4:19

That's the million-dollar question, right? Hard to say for sure, but here's the thing While he's in prison, he starts helping the government, like training mortgage brokers and loan officers, teaching them how to spot fraud.

Speaker 1: 4:31

Wow, talk about turning the tables.

Speaker 2: 4:33

It's like they say it takes one to no one.

Speaker 1: 4:36

Right, but that still doesn't answer the question Was it genuine remorse or just a clever move?

Speaker 2: 4:41

Exactly, and that's what makes Cox's story so fascinating. So he gets out of prison in 2019 and he goes on. This whole redemption tour starts hosting a true crime podcast called get this Inside True Crime.

Speaker 1: 4:53

Hold on a true crime podcast. You've got to be kidding me.

Speaker 2: 4:56

I know right the irony.

Speaker 1: 4:57

Did he ever talk about? You know his own crimes on the podcast.

Speaker 2: 5:07

I don't think he ever directly addressed his own case, but still. But here's the real kicker he becomes a spokesperson for this company.

Speaker 1: 5:10

Home Title Lock. Home Title Lock. What do?

Speaker 2: 5:10

they do. They monitor for deed fraud.

Speaker 1: 5:12

Wait. So the guy who built his empire on fraud is now what? Protecting people from it? That's kind of, I don't know, unbelievable. Is that ironic, opportunistic? A little bit of both, you tell me.

Speaker 2: 5:23

It really makes you think right. Is he trying to make amends? Or is this just another con.

Speaker 1: 5:28

I mean, it definitely makes you wonder, right, but let's talk more about this whole deed fraud thing Because, honestly, when I first heard about it I was like deed fraud, what is that? It's a made-up crime, drama stuff. But the more you learn about it, the scarier it gets.

Speaker 2: 5:42

Oh, absolutely. It's like a silent threat. Most people don't even know it exists until it happens to them or like someone they know.

Speaker 1: 5:50

So break it down for me what exactly is deed fraud?

Speaker 2: 5:52

Okay, so imagine this Someone forges your car's title right, they create this fake document that says they own your car.

Speaker 1: 6:00

Okay, I'm following.

Speaker 2: 6:01

And then they use that fake title to sell your car to some unsuspecting buyer.

Speaker 1: 6:06

I'm out of car.

Speaker 2: 6:07

Exactly, deed fraud is the same idea, but instead of a car, it's your house.

Speaker 1: 6:12

Whoa, so someone could actually steal my house just by like forging some papers?

Speaker 2: 6:17

That's the gist of it. Yeah, they create a phony deed, fake your signature, file it with the county and boom on paper, they're the legal owner of your property and I wouldn't even know until it was too late. That's terrifying it can be tough to catch, especially because these scammers, they're good and by the time you realize what's happened, it can be a nightmare to unravel so what can you even do like how do you protect yourself from something like that? Well, that's where companies like home title lock come in right co's company.

Speaker 1: 6:46

They're like the security system for your deed.

Speaker 2: 6:49

Exactly. They basically keep an eye on your property records for you. So if anything suspicious pops up, like, say, a change in ownership that you didn't initiate, they alert you right away.

Speaker 1: 7:00

OK, that makes sense, but like is it foolproof.

Speaker 2: 7:02

Well, nothing's ever foolproof, right? There's definitely been some debate about how effective these services actually are. What do you mean? Some people argue that they kind of overblow the risk of deed fraud, make it seem like it's way more common than it actually is Interesting. And then there's the fact that some counties actually offer their own property monitoring services like totally free.

Speaker 1: 7:23

Oh, I didn't know that, so it's not a perfect solution.

Speaker 2: 7:28

No, it's not. Even Cox himself has said that. You know monitoring can only do so much. It's more about early detection, so you can act quickly if something shady does happen.

Speaker 1: 7:36

So what's the takeaway for our listeners? What can we do to protect ourselves, whether or not we use a service like Home Title Lock?

Speaker 2: 7:43

Honestly, the best defense is knowledge. Be aware of the risks, keep an eye on your property records and if you get any unsolicited offers for your property, especially if they seem too good to be true, be very, very cautious.

Speaker 1: 7:57

Good advice. Well, there you have it the incredible, unbelievable, kind of hard to believe story of Matthew Cox, from mortgage mastermind to well fighting the very schemes he created. It's a wild ride, that's for sure, but I think the biggest takeaway here is that knowledge is power. The more we know about these scams, the less likely we are to fall victim to them. So stay vigilant out there, folks, and until next time stay curious.