Title fraud
Home title fraud: what it is and how to protect yourself.
Title fraud, also called deed fraud, is when someone forges a deed to your home, records it at the county, and then sells the home or borrows against it. It doesn’t take your keys or your passwords. Here’s how it works, who it tends to target, and what you can do.
How it happens
Four steps, and the owner is the last to know
- 1
They pick a home
Deeds are public records. Scammers look for homes with plenty of equity and owners who won’t notice quickly: paid-off homes, vacant land, rentals, second homes and older owners.
- 2
They forge a deed
Using the owner’s name and a copied signature, often with a fake notary stamp, they record a deed that “transfers” the home to themselves or a made-up buyer.
- 3
They sell it or borrow against it
With the forged deed on record, they try to sell the home or take out a loan against it, then disappear with the money.
- 4
The owner finds out last
The county records documents without checking with you. Many owners first hear about it from a foreclosure notice, a missing tax bill or a stranger at the door.
With Digital Home Shield, step four changes. You hear about a new deed on your home soon after the county records it, from a person who has checked it, while it’s still easiest to stop.
Who gets targeted
Any home can be a target. Some are easier.
Scammers look for homes where a forged deed is likely to go unnoticed for a while, and where there’s equity to take.
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Paid-off homes
With no mortgage, there’s no lender keeping an eye on the title, and more equity to borrow against.
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Vacant land and lots
No one lives there to notice a stranger, a sign or a survey crew.
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Rentals and second homes
The owner lives somewhere else, and mail about the property may not reach them.
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Older owners and estates
Homes owned by older relatives, or by someone who has recently died, can go unchecked for long stretches.
Why it goes unnoticed
No one is watching your title but you.
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The county doesn’t check with you
County recorders record documents that meet their filing rules. They generally don’t contact the owner or confirm that a signature is real before a deed goes on the record.
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Other protection usually doesn’t cover it
Credit monitoring and identity theft services generally don’t watch county property records. Owner’s title insurance usually covers problems from before you bought your home, not fraud that happens after.
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The first sign is often a late one
Many owners learn about it from a notice on a loan they never took out, a tax bill that stopped arriving, or a new “owner” at the door, after the money is gone.
Why finding out early matters
Undoing a forged deed can mean going to court to clear your title, with an attorney’s help. It’s far simpler when it’s caught before the home has been sold to someone else or a lender has paid out a loan against it.
Protect your home
Five things you can do
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Watch your home’s county records
Title monitoring checks new filings for you and tells you when something is recorded on your home. Some counties also offer free alerts for documents recorded under your name; if yours does, sign up for that too.
Home Title Monitoring → -
Notice when mail stops coming
A tax bill or mortgage statement that stops arriving can mean someone changed where it’s sent. Tax record and change of address monitoring catch those changes.
Tax Record Monitoring → -
Look in on property you don’t live in
Vacant land, rentals and second homes are favorite targets. Listing monitoring tells you if one shows up for sale or rent without you.
Listing Monitoring → -
Look out for older relatives
Make sure someone you trust would hear about a filing on a parent’s or grandparent’s home. You can monitor a home for a family member and add yourself to its alerts.
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Know what to do if it happens
Contact your county recorder’s office, report it to local police, and talk to a real estate attorney. Every alert we send comes with these next steps.
Questions about title fraud
What is home title monitoring?
Your home’s ownership is recorded at the county. Title monitoring watches those public records and lets you know when something new is recorded on your property, like a deed transferring ownership. If it was you, great. If it wasn’t, you find out in days instead of months.
Can you prevent fraud on my home?
No, and be wary of anyone who says they can. Counties record documents that are submitted to them; no monitoring service can stop a filing. What we do is make sure you know quickly, so you can act while it’s easiest to fix: contact the county recorder, law enforcement, and a real estate attorney.
Doesn’t title insurance cover this?
Not usually. Owner’s title insurance protects you against problems that existed before you bought the home (old liens, errors in past records). It generally doesn’t watch for, or cover, fraud that happens after you’ve purchased. Check your own policy to be sure.
Does my county already offer free alerts?
Some counties offer a free “property fraud alert” for documents recorded under your name. If yours does, it’s worth signing up. We cover counties nationwide in one place, track the property itself (not just a name search), and have a person review every match before we contact you.
Know fast if anyone records a deed on your home.
Title monitoring starts at $7.50/month, or $250 once for as long as you own your home. A person reviews every alert.