I-Team: Signature Scam? – CV woman says one swipe nearly cost her the home she spent a lifetime paying off

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) - An 85-year-old Coachella Valley woman says she thought she was simply requesting information about selling her home fast.

Instead, she says one swipe on her phone triggered a legal battle involving the house she spent more than 60 years paying off.

News Channel 3 I-Team Reporter Karen Devine began investigating after Jessie Schumaker reached out for help, saying she felt confused and overwhelmed after speaking with a company advertising cash offers for homes online.

Schumaker says she contacted Evergreen Capital LLC after seeing a social media advertisement promoting quick home sales.

“This sounds like an answer to a problem that I’m having,” Schumaker told Devine.

At the time, Schumaker says she was dealing with family and financial stress and was looking into options for selling her home.

But she insists she never intended to immediately sell the property.

“I said, ‘You understand that I’m not selling because I still have to consult with my other son,’” she said.

According to Schumaker, she was then sent documents through DocuSign while speaking on the phone with a representative.

“I said, ‘I don’t know what I’m signing. I don’t know what it is. I can’t read it,’” she recalled.

Schumaker admits she ultimately signed the documents electronically without fully reviewing them.

She says she believed she was simply receiving a cash offer quote.

Instead, she later learned she may have signed a legally binding real estate purchase agreement.

Soon afterward, a legal filing known as a lis pendens was recorded against her property.

A lis pendens is a legal notice tied to a property dispute that can prevent homeowners from refinancing or selling a home while litigation is pending.

During the investigation, Devine obtained multiple lis pendens filings tied to Evergreen Capital LLC in Riverside County.

One filing connected to Jessie Schumaker’s property lists Evergreen Capital LLC as the plaintiff and references a “Notice of Pendency of Action” involving property in Palm Desert.

The filing also includes language stating the listed case number was being used as a “placeholder until the Court provides a case number.”

That wording immediately caught the attention of longtime real estate attorney Daniel Herns.

“This is a document like I’ve never seen before,” Herns said.

After reviewing several filings, Herns questioned why identical placeholder case numbers appeared on multiple documents.

“The case number on this document is a complete phony case number that looks nothing like what a normal Riverside County Superior Court Civil Case Number would look like,” Herns said.

Herns also raised concerns about the timing of the filings.

“It’s against California law to record a lis pendens before the lawsuit is filed,” he said.

As part of the investigation, the I-Team also reviewed audio connected to Schumaker’s transaction. It was forwarded to Devine from Attorney Matthew Corsaut.

The recording appears to capture the conversation between Schumaker and a representative from Evergreen Capital, LLC.  The representative talks her through the process online, Schumaker on her phone, to sign an agreement electronically with a quoted cash amount for her home.  

The online contract process poses questions surrounding whether Schumaker fully understood the agreement being signed electronically.

The investigation uncovered concerns from homeowners who say they felt rushed, confused by technology, or unaware they may have been entering into legally binding agreements.

Devine reached out directly to Evergreen Capital for answers.

An initial phone call disconnected shortly after Devine identified herself and disclosed the call was being recorded.

Later, a representative returned the call and defended the company’s practices.

“These are signed, bona fide contracts to where they know we’re moving forward.””

The I-Team also contacted attorney Matthew Corsaut, whose law office was listed on several lis pendens filings connected to the cases.

Corsaut explained that temporary case numbers are sometimes used before official court numbers are assigned in order to prevent sellers from backing out and selling properties elsewhere before lawsuits are formally processed.

Meanwhile, Riverside County District Attorney fraud investigator Lyle Barnes told Devine that investigators had not previously encountered complaints quite like these.

“This is new to us,” Barnes said.

Barnes explained that determining whether situations like these are criminal or civil often comes down to consent and what homeowners knowingly agreed to sign.

As the investigation continued, Devine received a major update.

Corsaut reviewed the three Riverside County cases uncovered by News Channel 3 and says the legal disputes tied to those properties have now either been dismissed or resolved, meaning the lis pendens filings should soon be removed.

Schumaker’s family says they never paid money to get out of the dispute and were relieved to learn the filing tied to her home is now being released.

The investigation highlights growing concerns surrounding online contracts, electronic signatures and high-pressure real estate transactions especially involving seniors and homeowners unfamiliar with digital documents.

Attorneys and fraud investigators urge homeowners to carefully review all documents before signing and seek help from trusted family members, attorneys or real estate professionals when questions arise.

If you believe you may have experienced a similar situation, contact the News Channel 3 I-Team at ITeam@KESQ.com.