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Moore County register of deeds warns of deed-transfer fraud, outlines steps to reverse bogus sales
Summary
Moore County Register of Deeds Bill Britain described rising deed-transfer fraud, said vacant properties are frequently targeted, and urged title searches, fraud-notification signups and prompt reporting to reverse fraudulent transfers.
Bill Britain, Moore County's elected register of deeds, described instances of deed-transfer fraud affecting vacant properties and said his office has filed legislation to give registers greater ability to refuse suspicious filings.
"We do have it in Moore County," Britain said, describing multiple local cases and national parallels. He encouraged residents to sign up for the county's fraud-notification service and to order title searches and title insurance when purchasing property. Britain said recent law changes are intended to expedite reversals and provide registers discretion to refuse obviously fraudulent documents.
Britain gave a local example of a wire-transfer purchase for roughly $175,000 in which the buyer thought they had purchased property; the original owner later discovered the transfer had been fraudulent and the transaction required months of work to reverse. He advised residents to pay for title searches and title insurance and to notify the register's office promptly if they see unexpected records affecting their property.
Britain said his office can help direct residents to the appropriate agencies (Secretary of State, FBI, SBI or local law enforcement) and that fraud-notification signups can speed remediation in many cases.
The register offered to speak with residents after the workshop and directed attendees to his table for further help and sign-up information.
