Franklin County has launched a new anti-fraud resource for property owners.
Mike Foley reports.
It's called FraudSleuth, an online search tool that will alert residents of any suspicious property records transactions. Franklin County Recorder Terry Brown says a big problem right now involves deed theft.
"People will target elderly individuals who have no liens on their property or mortgages. They will go to the land records office, file a fake deed titling the property in their name, take out a mortgage on the property and the walk away. The homeowner doesn't find out until a year or more later that this occurred when they realize the property has been foreclosed on. This tool will allow individuals to monitor their own property or maybe their parents or grandparents property to make sure they don't become victims of deed theft."
New York, Detroit and Chicago have seen a spike in deed theft cases, and while Columbus and Franklin County have not, Brown says this tool will help keep it that way because residents will know almost immediately when documents are filed. He says users can run a basic search or register to receive an email anytime a document is recorded under their name.
"People are not in the habit of searching their names in the public record on a regular basis, so this means that instead of you having to go in and search our record for your name that we do that for you every night. And it's better to know about an issue early then when you're trying to sell or refinance your property. If you're in the middle of a sale and you find out there's a lien on your property that shouldn't be, it can delay the closing by weeks or months."
Brown says users can also set up a profile for a relative who may not be as tech savvy. FraudSleuth can be found by visiting the Franklin County Recorder's website.
