# Preventing home title fraud **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 18, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943 "2025-11-18T01:25:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/21 "2025-11-18T20:26:33Z")
That’s the site I found as well. Even when I went directly to my county’s .gov site, they send you back to that one. Also, from what I can tell, and I don’t know if this makes a difference, it’s not alerting you because something is happening with a property you own, it alerts you if your name shows up on a land record document. Again, I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I would’ve thought you’d register land you owned and if something happened with it (ie lien, loan, sale, name change etc) you’d get an alert. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/22 "2025-11-18T21:19:36Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > So, anyone have a cite about just how often this _actually_ happens? Is it an epidemic, or something which happens a few times in a given state each year? The main place I’ve heard about this is overly-dramatic [ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtZ2eWdAYOc) for protection services that occupy the same sort of ad slots as NordVPN does. I get the strong impression that it _happens_ but there’s definitely a great deal of money being made in exaggerating the prevalence. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/23 "2025-11-18T21:23:03Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > Check online (or phone) for your county under “Property Fraud Alert”. > > I just did this and it for California, it happens not to be by County. It’s done through [California Department of Real Estate](https://dre.ca.gov/). I am still trying to navigate their website to figure out how. # County Recorder Property Owner Alert Program **Get a notification of potential fraudulent activity on your property or save your home from potential foreclosure by verifying the legitimacy of your recorded real estate documents. Certain California counties offer property owners electronic and/or letter notifications of recorded activity.** Below is a list of counties where DRE knows of available notification services. If it’s not listed here, visit your local county’s website to see if a notification program is available to you. | | | --- | ### Electronic Notifications - [Calaveras County](https://recorderweb.calaverasgov.us/web/fraudGuard/disclaimerPage) - [Los Angeles County](https://dcba.lacounty.gov/portfolio/homeowner-notification-program/) - [San Diego County](https://www.sdarcc.gov/content/arcc/home/divisions/recorder-clerk/recording/owner-alert.html) | | | | --- | --- | ### Letter Notifications - [Contra Costa County](https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/3467/Fraud-Notification-Program) - [Placer County](https://www.placer.ca.gov/8322/Property-fraud-prevention-program) - [Riverside County](https://www.rivcoacr.org/real-estate-fraud) This is under Consumer/County Recorder Alerts. So you may still need to go to your county. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/24 "2025-11-18T22:35:41Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > That’s the site I found as well. Even when I went directly to my county’s .gov site, they send you back to that one. > > Also, from what I can tell, and I don’t know if this makes a difference, it’s not alerting you because something is happening with a property you own, it alerts you if your name shows up on a land record document. > Again, I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I would’ve thought you’d register land you owned and if something happened with it (ie lien, loan, sale, name change etc) you’d get an alert. The way it seems to work is that if a document is filed in your name, you will get an email confirmation. If you haven’t filed a document, you can contact the county clerk before it’s finalized. It’s to alert you that something’s going on. Of course, if you have filed a document, then you can ignore the alert. The form is simple. You enter up to three names and your email. You’ll get am email with a link to confirm. Once that’s done, you’ll get the notifications if your name comes up. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/25 "2025-11-18T23:28:53Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > So, anyone have a cite about just how often this _actually_ happens? Is it an epidemic, or something which happens a few times in a given state each year? I can’t speak for the U.S., but it’s been a growing business for organized crime in Toronto and Vancouver. [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/organized-crime-groups-behind-gta-home-sales-mortgages-without-owners-knowledge-1.6719978](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/organized-crime-groups-behind-gta-home-sales-mortgages-without-owners-knowledge-1.6719978) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/26 "2025-11-18T23:33:28Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The way it seems to work is that if a document is filed in your name, you will get an email confirmation. If you haven’t filed a document, you can contact the county clerk before it’s finalized. It’s to alert you that something’s going on. I got that, it just seemed backwards from how I expected it to work. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/27 "2025-11-19T00:51:23Z")
The one in my county works the way you expect it to . I signed up for the alerts and I’ll get an alert when documents are filed against that property. But not if documents are filed in my name on another property - which I suppose could be a problem in some situations, like if my sibling and I jointly inherit a house from an aunt and sibling forges my name on documents transferring the property to her name alone. It seems to me that yours would notify you on properties you know you own and also any other properties where someone files a document with your name - which I would prefer. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/28 "2025-11-19T01:04:39Z")
Massachusetts has it, but you have to go to the Secretary of state page, not the individual county Registry of Deeds pages. You can get notified by name, by address, or even by the book & page number of your deed or mortgage ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/29 "2025-11-19T20:40:55Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > > [@John\_DiFool](#): > > > > So, anyone have a cite about just how often this _actually_ happens? Is it an epidemic, or something which happens a few times in a given state each year? > > I can’t speak for the U.S., but it’s been a growing business for organized crime in Toronto and Vancouver. > > [How organized crime has mortgaged or sold at least 30 GTA homes without owners' knowledge | CBC News](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/organized-crime-groups-behind-gta-home-sales-mortgages-without-owners-knowledge-1.6719978) You know, I wonder if the possible increase in such crimes are tied to how easy it seems to be based on increasing reporting. Specifically, we had multiple discussions on how “paper terrorism” was used by SovCits in several threads, with bogus liens and claims put against persons deemed unfriendly to their cases. And of course, the huge Graceland sale/scam would have generated a lot of “I wonder…” in the criminally minded. Prevention is of course a valid answer to the problem (real, exaggerated, or upcoming) but I wonder as well if it’s becoming a self-fulfilling threat, where the awareness of the weakness of our existing system is pushing the concern and the interest in such criminal activity.. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/30 "2025-11-19T20:55:06Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > So, anyone have a cite about just how often this _actually_ happens? Nobody seems to know. > **[Home title monitoring services mislead about a rare crime](https://komonews.com/news/consumer/home-title-monitoring-services-mislead-about-a-rare-crime-protection-company-theft-marketing-consumer)** > > Ads for Home Title Lock feature a former FBI agent, convicted felon, or prominent politician warning about "a serious cyberthreat and growing problem" IMHO, “Home Title Lock” and similar companies are the _real_ scammers. > Some of Home Title Lock’s ads display a warning, attributed to the FBI, that says home title theft is “one of the fastest growing white-collar cyber crimes in America.” > > But the FBI—which doesn’t even collect data on home title fraud—has never issued any such public warnings. > > When we asked the FBI for info on Home Title Lock’s claim, an FBI public affairs officer told Checkbook that “we cannot find any source for that quote.” > Any complaints about home title theft would be categorized by the FBI as “real estate fraud.” In 2022, it received 11,727 reports of that type, according to the [FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center](https://www.ic3.gov/). But there’s no way to determine how many of those cases involved home title fraud. > In some of its ads, infomercials, and social media posts, Home Title Lock features “victims” who share compelling title-theft horror stories. > > An [ABC News investigation](https://abcnews.go.com/US/prolific-ads-featuring-wing-icons-push-questionable-claims/story?id=85365286) in 2022 questioned the veracity of two alleged victims: “Jeff” in Texas and “Debra” in Florida. > ABC News reported that a week after it notified Home Title Lock about these dubious testimonials, the company removed nearly all references to them from its website. > > It’s interesting that to illustrate the need for its services Home Title Lock had to rely on testimonials from two people who weren’t even victims of title theft. If this type of fraud is widespread, as Home Title Lock warns, then it should have been easy for the company to find real victims. > [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Edit: the linked article from **RC** above shows 9,500 complains nation-wide. As indicated above, that’s real estate fraud as a whole. Title fraud is somewhere below that. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/31 "2025-11-19T21:15:34Z")
Do those notifications programs actually work? Due to data breaches I have three credit monitoring services active and I just refi’ed my house and never got a notification from any of them. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/32 "2025-11-19T21:31:00Z")
Credit monitoring does not flag this. It would look like a normal transaction with “your” collateral and credit history. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/33 "2025-11-19T22:05:50Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > then use it to sell your house out from under you or take out a loan using it as collateral. I think when it comes down to it, even if we take for granted that getting a fraudulent title is easy, how can they do the rest of this in a way that doesn’t immediately identify the guilty party when the crime inevitably comes to light? It seems like the only way to “monetize” this crime is to undergo a significant background check that would immediately identify the culprit once the crime is found out. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/34 "2025-11-19T22:19:56Z")
I don’t know about credit monitoring services - but I have a fraud alert on my credit report and I have absolutely gotten phone calls when people tried to fraudulently open accounts in my name ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/35 "2025-11-19T22:21:38Z")
Maybe - I don’t think there’s any sort of background check for someone _selling_ a house. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/36 "2025-11-19T22:28:36Z")
In theory, the closing attorney will vet the seller and confirm they actually own the house, that all liens are cleared at closing, , that they have ID that matches the existing deed, etc, etc.At least that’s how it works in MA. And if there’s a current mortgage on the house, the mortgage holder would be involved as well, and be sending mail to the current mortgage holder. It seems that whole process would be pretty difficult, it also requires who’ve never entered or possibly even seen the house they’re buying. But getting a fraudulent loan would be much easier. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/37 "2025-11-19T22:32:39Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > then use it to sell your house out from under you or take out a loan using it as collateral. > > I think when it comes down to it, even if we take for granted that getting a fraudulent title is easy, how can they do the rest of this in a way that doesn’t immediately identify the guilty party when the crime inevitably comes to light? It seems like the only way to “monetize” this crime is to undergo a significant background check that would immediately identify the culprit once the crime is found out. Trues, but it’s also linked to identity theft. Remember: it’s being done in your name. So you go to a bank with title and forged documents and to the bank, it’s you ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/38 "2025-11-19T22:45:54Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > In theory, the closing attorney will vet the seller and confirm they actually own the house, that all liens are cleared at closing, , that they have ID that matches the existing deed, etc, etc. Right , but if someone transfers the deed from me to John Jingelheimer , and sends the documents to whichever goverment agancy keeps the records, then those records will show that John Jingelheimer owns the property.There’s no reason he wouldn’t have ID in in that name. Is it going to be easy- no. But it can happen under the right circumstances . like if someone is looking to buy a few adjacent lots to put up a new building. Do I think it’s common - no, not as common as getting the actual owner to sign papers that they don’t understand , but lead sto them losing their house. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/39 "2025-11-19T22:46:37Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > that they have ID that matches the existing deed Otherwise, why would they even bother with the title fraud? They could just claim to be the current owner. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > But getting a fraudulent loan would be much easier. Easier, maybe. But still not easy. Even if we take for granted that the title fraud is so complete and effective that it can be used as collateral for the fraudster’s loan, the bank is still making a loan to someone who they expect to pay the loan back, so they’re going to do a credit check. Maybe that works in the moment, but it six months when the fraudster has defaulted on the loan and the house is getting foreclosed on (to the surprise of the real owners) it shouldn’t be particularly hard for the bank to track down the fraudster. For the fraudster it is at most a “do it once, then flee the country” crime, which limits how often it can happen. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943/40 "2025-11-20T03:53:12Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I put a freeze on my credit which should stop the loan in my name part. Same here. It seems to me that this is more effective, since it prevents any type of loan being taken out in your name, not just a real estate loan. It also stops the fraud before it happens rather than just notifying you that it is already in progress. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preventing-home-title-fraud/1024943.md?page=3)