Mahoning County recorder announces free notary fraud alert to protect property owners

The Mahoning County Recorder's Office announced a new, free notary-fraud alert designed to notify notaries and property owners when a notary seal appears on recorded documents. Recorder Richard told commissioners the service alerts notaries if their seal has been used and notifies property owners when recordings appear that may indicate fraud.

"Notary seals can be misused. They can be fraudulent," Richard said at the Jan. 29 meeting, explaining that the county will notify notaries and property owners if a seal is used without authorization. He said the free service complements an existing property-fraud alert (an auditor-managed system) and that the county is the first in Northeast Ohio to offer a notary fraud alert.

Recorder staff said the alert will help identify improperly recorded documents before property owners learn of them and stressed that recordings without valid notarization are not accepted for recording in the office. Commissioners responded with questions about operations and noted the increase in fraud schemes targeting older residents.