Antonio Moore, 29, allegedly tried to steal a $5.4 million home in Oklahoma City's Gaillardia neighborhood by filing fake deed paperwork claiming he had inherited the property.

Moore was arrested Sept. 30 and has been charged with forgery and attempting to obtain property through deception, according to KFOR.

The 14,000-square-foot estate had been targeted for months. According to the sheriff's report, the homeowner said the scheme began in April when his homeowners association contacted him about a man trying to enter the community, claiming he had inherited the house. Security turned the man away, but he attempted to enter two more times.

The homeowner then began receiving mail addressed to Moore at the property. His electric service had been switched into Moore's name, and someone had also attempted to transfer the water service, investigators said. The homeowner's bank also called to tell him someone had tried to take out a loan against the house.

"Most people worry about someone breaking into their home. They don't think about someone trying to steal the house itself," Sheriff Tommie Johnson III said.

Moore attempted to file documents at the Oklahoma County Clerk's Office claiming he had inherited the property from deceased relatives. Employees noticed something suspicious, refused to record the paperwork and alerted the homeowner.

Sheriff Johnson described deed fraud as a quiet crime. He said perpetrators try to attach themselves to a property under the radar and then extract money from it.

On Sept. 11, the homeowner went to the clerk's office and filed a written statement detailing months of suspicious activity.

Moore returned to the clerk's office on Sept. 25 and again on Sept. 30, attempting to file additional ownership paperwork, investigators said. He was arrested on his Sept. 30 visit and booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center.

The fraudulent deed was never recorded. Sheriff Johnson said if it had been, the homeowner could have faced a far more complicated situation.

Johnson warned the threat is not limited to high-value properties. "Someone who has spent 30 years paying off a modest home could face the same type of nightmare," he said.

The sheriff's office urged residents to check property records regularly, watch for unfamiliar mail and monitor utility accounts for unexpected changes. The Oklahoma County Clerk’s Office offers a free property alert system with text, email or automated phone notifications when a recorded document matches a user’s registration.