Did you know that the Warren County Clerk’s Office offers a free online tool that lessens the chances of being victimized by the growing crime of property deed theft?

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, which typically occur without the rightful property owner knowing about them until it’s too late.

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. More than 400 Warren County property owners had done so as of this summer.

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.

You can also learn more here: https://www.warrencountyny.gov/news/online-fraud-alert-available-property-transactions.