LEGAL ALERT – Beware of Deed fraud!

Fraud Alert Notification System

Don’t Get Scammed Over the Holidays – Use Common Sense to Protect Against Losing Your Home!

deed fraudYou may have heard on the news or read in the paper recently of a rise in deed fraud. Deed fraud occurs when someone fraudulently transfers ownership of someone else’s real property into the fraudster’s name without the owner’s consent. In a recent Dayton Daily News article, the Montgomery County recorder estimated that what used to be one or two complaint per month has increased to two to three complaints per week.

An ownership transfer occurs when a deed is signed by the owner, notarized by a notary and recorded. A fraudster can easily obtain the necessary information to prepare a deed, forge the owner’s signature and get a negligent or complicit notary to notarize the signature. This is the most common form of deed fraud. The second form is when the crook deceives the owner and convinces him or her to sign a deed by promising to pay overdue property taxes or refinance a mortgage.

If the property ownership is stolen, it can result in an unauthorized sale by the crook. It can also result in the crook taking out a … Read More... “LEGAL ALERT – Beware of Deed fraud!”

BEWARE: Cybercriminals are Trying New Scams In this Coronavirus (COVID-19) Era

Fraud Alert Notification System

Coronavirus Pandemic Brings Out Scam Artists Who Prey On People’s $1200 Stimulus Checks

coronavirus pandemic scam artists scammersCybercriminals, slimy marketers and scammers are hard at work during the Coronavirus pandemic.  They are hard at work trying to pry on frightened consumers, steal personal information and even blackmail folks. In addition, they are devising ways to try to fraudulently obtain peoples $1200 stimulus checks.  We all need to be vigilant and be on “high alert”. “This is a breeding ground for scam artists. It’s kind of the perfect storm with all of the tragedies that we have going on across the country and across the world,” said John North, president and CEO of the Dayton and the Miami Valley.

Fear and confusion surrounding the coronavirus pandemic  as well as people’s desire to help others, creates a fertile ground for scammers , said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. Yost warns Ohioans to ignore all the online advertisements hawking cures for the coronavirus and emails claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other expert sources with special advice or information about the coronavirus. To download the Ohio Attorney General’s brochure about consumer scams click here.

COVID-19 Extortion

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TITLE FRAUD ALERT: FANS Program Will Protect Vulnerable Homeowners from Fraud

Fraud Alert Notification System

Fraud Alert Notification System (FANS) Can Help Seniors And Homeowners Protect Themselves Against Fraudulent Scams

Fraud Alert Notification SystemUnfortunately, it is not uncommon these days to see a news story on television or read an article in the newspaper or on the internet involving a senior person who has been scammed in one way or another.  One common scam involves fraudulently obtaining ownership of the home of an elderly individual, by either getting him or her to sign a document that he or she doesn’t understand or by fraudulently forging his or her name on a deed.  The wrongful owner then either tries to sell the property or borrows money against it by putting a mortgage on it, leaving the rightful owner with an expensive mess to try to sort out.

The Montgomery County Recorder’s Office has raised a defense against this type of  title fraud by implementing FANS (Fraud Alert Notification System).  FANS will allow the elderly, their family members and out of state owners to monitor activities on properties of interest.  By enrolling with the recorder’s office, an individual will be notified anytime a property with a particular parcel ID number has a deed or mortgage filed or a … Read More... “TITLE FRAUD ALERT: FANS Program Will Protect Vulnerable Homeowners from Fraud”