KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A new tool hopes to curb a "fast-growing" crime in Kent County that can leave people without homes.
As a symbol of the American dream that families often work toward for years, Lisa Posthumus Lyons says it only takes a few minutes for them to lose their houses to property fraud.
“Not only are they robbed of their home, their investment, their American dream but then they're also left saddled with a financial fallout; the mortgage on something that's already been stolen from them and then having to work through the legal system to get that property back when it's rightfully theirs,” said Posthumus Lyons, the Kent County register of deeds.
Posthumus Lyons describes it as a hard-to-detect but east-to-commit crime. She says scammers file fake deeds to make it look like they own a property that is not theirs then trick people to give them cash to rent or buy it.
“Michigan law requires registers of deeds to check the form, to make sure it's legal and proper form, but we have no authority to review it for accuracy or verification,” said Posthumus Lyons.
She added, “They think that everything is fine with their property, but it's only when they go and have another transaction on their property that they learn somebody else has stolen it.”
That’s why on Thursday, the Kent County Register’s Office launched Fraud Notify, a new property-fraud alert service for home and land owners in Kent County.
According to Posthumus Lyons, it tells them via email if their name comes up in any recorded activities at the Register’s Office. They can then call to verify or report it if deemed suspicious.
“That allows them to discern for themselves, ‘Okay, this is a legitimate transaction that I conducted; I'm aware of it’ or if they had no idea it took place, there's a reason to suspect fraud and that property owner has the information, they can get it to law enforcement and start the process of reclaiming what's rightfully theirs sooner,” said Posthumus Lyons.
Posthumus Lyons says it’s difficult to quantify the number of property fraud cases in Kent County but notes real estate agents have told her it's become a bigger problem in recent years.
She hopes it equips people with the information they need to become aware of the crime sooner rather than later.
“We want to make sure we're equipping property owners with an important tool to help them to be able to feel safe and secure and give them peace of mind with their property,” said Posthumus Lyons.
To register for Fraud Notify, click here.
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