Warren County Clerk Carrie Black is issuing a strong advisory to county residents: safeguard your most valuable asset against the growing threat of property deed theft. This insidious crime, where fraudsters forge documents to illegally transfer property titles, can lead to costly and lengthy legal battles, often leaving homeowners unaware until it's too late.
Deed theft, also known as home title theft, is a type of real estate fraud where a criminal uses forged documents to transfer someone’s property deed into their name. It can take extensive litigation, as well as money, to undo these fraudulent transactions.
The Warren County Clerk’s Office has contracted with Search IQS, an online public records access provider, for a “fraud alert” program that notifies property owners when documents such as a deed or mortgage are recorded under their name at the Warren County Clerk’s Office. Signing up requires an email address, and can be done in seconds. 346 Warren County property owners have done so so far.
Said Kevin Geraghty, Chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors: “This fraud alert system provides some peace of mind that property owners will get prompt notification if a property transaction occurs in their name. It is free for Warren County residents and property owners, and it’s easy to sign up through the online form on our Warren County website. We hope property owners take advantage of it.”
A link to sign up for a fraud alert, and for more information about the program, can be found at https://www.warrencountyny.gov/clerk/fraudalert.
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