WXMI — A new tool may help protect West Michigan residents from property fraud and title theft.
On Monday, the Allegan County Register of Deeds and the Kalamazoo County Register of Deeds launched property fraud alert services, which notifies people if their homes or land become targets of potential theft.
“It’s one of those situations that when it occurs to you, it’s devastating,” said Bob Genetski, Allegan County Register of Deeds. “People can potentially wreck your credit, take mortgages out against your house, and run away with a lot of money.”
According to the FBI, property and mortgage fraud is one of the fastest-growing white collar crimes in the country.
Anyone can become a victim, even if they do not own a house or land.
Scammers file fake deeds at register offices that make it appear that they own a house that’s not theirs. Then they trick people to give them money to rent or buy it.
Perpetrators often target properties that belong to older adults or those who spend parts of the year elsewhere.
Despite the serious repercussions, Genetski says under Michigan law, register offices can only document the land record. Officials cannot determine its validity. There is no requirement to notify owners either.
“Anyone can record anything in the Register of Deeds office provided that it abides by a state law relative to the margins around the paper, the size of the font, relative to an original signature versus a photocopy, and it’s got to have a notary on it as well,” said Genetski.
Genetski says that’s why register offices are starting to roll out property fraud alert services. It alerts homeowners within a day if their name comes up in any recorded activities.
The property fraud alert service is a product of Fidlar Technologies. Allegan County paid $7,500 for a one-year contract to use the tool.
According to Genetski, there have been little to no property fraud cases in Allegan County in recent years, but leaders worry an influx of people may change that.
In 2021, the Allegan County Register of Deeds filed 31,015 land records, the most ever. The office also set a record in 2020 with roughly 30,000 land records.
“The white hot West Michigan real estate market has really driven a lot of those recordings, so the more paper, the more potential for people to potentially engage in nefarious operations,” said Genetski.
He encourages people to take the steps needed to keep their families' homes safe
“Hopefully this service will get an early attack against any sort of property fraud or title fraud,” said Genetski.
If you live in Allegan County and would like to sign up, clickhere.
Kalamazoo County residents can sign up here.
