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County official urges property owners to sign up for free fraud-alert deed notification after attempted scam
Summary
A county office described a free deed-registration fraud alert that notifies property owners and county staff when documents are recorded, and said recent attempted fraudulent transfers were reported to the sheriff.
A county official urged Dickinson County property owners to enroll in a free property fraud alert for recorded deeds after staff and local real estate professionals identified attempted fraudulent transfers.
The official, identified in the meeting as Rose, said the county offers a free registration form on its website that will send email alerts to the property owner and to the county when changes are recorded. Rose said that when a suspicious document appears, county staff can help start the process with the sheriff’s office and follow the legal steps to address an unauthorized transaction.
Rose recounted that a local real estate agent discovered an attempt to sell a parcel without the owner’s authorization; the title company contacted the county and the matter was being handled with law enforcement. She said about 45 people have signed up for the free alert since the county began offering it a little more than a year ago and emphasized that private “title lock” services charging roughly $80–$90 a year offer the same basic notification and are not necessary when the county’s service is available for no charge.
Rose advised property owners to call her office or use the online form to sign up; she said staff can email or mail the form on request and will meet individuals at the office to complete enrollment.
