FBI, police, and Register of Deeds offices in West Michigan are alerting property owners that mortgage and property fraud is on the rise, and all too often, victims of these types of fraudulent activities are unaware their homes or identity have been stolen.

 

Barry County Register of Deeds, Barbara Hurless, told WBCH that Barry County along with Kalamazoo, Allegan, and other counties have been working to help protect and alert citizens by phone call or email when someone files a claim in their name or parcel number.  Hurless said Barry County has been offering the alert service for about a year.

 

Property Fraud Alert is a free online subscription service offered to the public that allows their name to be monitored within the Register of Deeds office in order to track possible fraudulent recordings that affects their property.

 

According to the Barry County website, a common property fraud scenario involves a criminal filing a bogus deed making it appear that the actual owner had transferred ownership of a parcel to someone else.  The criminal then takes that deed to a bank, fraudulently obtains a mortgage and then disappears with a large amount of money.

 

While it can happen to anyone, perpetrators of property fraud often prey on the elderly, people in long term care facilities, absentee property owners and owners who spent large parts of the year out of town.

 

While Property Fraud alert does NOT prevent fraud from happening, it does provide an early warning system for property owners to take appropriate actions should they determine possible fraudulent activity has taken place.

 

Sign up for Property Fraud Alert on the Barry Co. Register of Deeds web page or at this link:   https://www.propertyfraudalert.com/MIBarry