09 Oct How can I protect my home from title scams?

Q. How can I protect my home from title scams?
— Homeowner

A. These scams happen when a fraudster filed a fake document with your county clerk about your home. If these forgeries are filed with the clerk, it would appear that someone other than you owns your home.

Then the scammer may apply for home loans on your property, and when they (of course) don’t make the monthly payments, the bank could start foreclosure proceedings.

In New Jersey, county clerks have started to offer property fraud alerts. If you sign up, your name will be monitored by the county and if anyone ever files a deed, for example, you’d get an alert.

“While Property Fraud Alert does not prevent fraud from happening; it provides an early warning system for property owners to take appropriate actions should they determine possible fraudulent activity has taken place,” the Monmouth County Clerk says on its website.

You can find a list of county clerks here.

Email your questions to .

This story was originally published in October 2024.

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