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County Clerk Mike Caruso warns Royal Palm Beach of rising deed-fraud scams, offers local fraud-alert services
Summary
Palm Beach County Clerk Mike Caruso told the Royal Palm Beach Council that deed-fraud cases have surged locally and encouraged residents to enroll in the Clerk's free property-fraud alert program; he described office services available at a Royal Palm satellite location and cautioned about common phone scams.
Mike Caruso, Palm Beach County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller, told the Royal Palm Beach Village Council on Thursday that property-record and citation scams targeting residents have escalated and that the county has stepped up outreach and local services to help.
Caruso described multiple telephone scams—fraudsters posing as the clerk's office about traffic tickets or posing as law-enforcement officers about jury-duty warrants—and warned that scammers use public-record details to build credibility and pressure victims into paying immediately. He advised residents: "If somebody calls, somebody texts, somebody emails you and eventually gets to a place where they are getting the credit-card information and personal banking information, it's a scam. It's always a scam."
Caruso also outlined an alarming trend in deed fraud as reported by the state prosecutor: two years ago the county had four cases, one year later 32, on Sept. 30, 2025 there were 184, and "we're over 650 cases already this year," he said, adding, "we're going to have 1,500 cases this fiscal year and estimate 7,000 to 8,000 cases." He said scammers can record quick-claim deeds and file forged notary signatures to appear to own property on paper.
To help residents, Caruso urged enrollment in the Clerk's property-fraud alert (his staff can sign up residents in about two minutes) and highlighted services available at a Royal Palm Beach satellite office where people can pay traffic fines, establish payment plans, record documents, apply for marriage licenses and, in the near future, obtain passports. He offered a direct contact for sign-up: 561-702-9319 and encouraged residents to text "property fraud alert." "Don't give your info out," he said repeatedly.
Caruso also addressed fiscal concerns raised by council members: if the proposed property-tax amendment passes, he warned, county and constitutional offices could face budget cuts that would reduce services. He told the council that his office's budget is payroll-heavy and that reduced revenue would force service reductions and staffing impacts.
Why it matters: Caruso's statistics and description of techniques come from county and state law-enforcement sources and reflect a measurable rise in deed-fraud filings and related scams in Palm Beach County. The clerk's office is offering immediate protective steps for residents and local access through a Royal Palm Beach satellite location.
