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What Is Home Title Fraud?

Home title fraud, also known as home title theft, involves the fraudulent transfer of a property deed into someone else’s name. This is usually connected to cases of identity theft, where the fraudster poses as the owner of your property to undertake some sort of financial transaction.

Now, home title fraud isn’t always as simple as just transferring a property deed into another person’s name. For example, the person stealing your deed may refinance your mortgage or perform some other action that enables them to steal a large amount of cash. And if you don’t realize it, you may face foreclosure. In some cases, the thief will even attempt to sell the property and walk away with the cash.

How Does Home Title Fraud Happen?

In simple terms, home title fraud happens when a thief somehow transfers a property title into their own or a colleague’s name. This is usually connected to identity theft, where the fraudster poses as the entity who owns a property and is therefore able to transfer the property deed with few problems. This tends to involve the following.

Identity theft

The initial identity theft may be complex and involve the fraudster assuming control of your entire identity. Or it can be as simple as them learning how to forge your signature so that they can complete the relevant legal documents for the transfer of a property deed.

Property ownership transfer

Next, the thief will use a fake bill of sale and a forged signature to transfer ownership of your property to themselves (or a contact of theirs). This is surprisingly simple, and the chances are that you won’t even realize it has happened.

Monetary theft

Once they have assumed ownership of your property, the thief can do a few things. For one, they might attempt to sell your property and disappear with the funds. Or they might take out home equity loans and, once again, run off with the funds. This is surprisingly simple, and home title fraud is becoming increasingly common as a result.

Who is at Risk for Home Title Fraud?

Generally, the criminals committing home title fraud target the most vulnerable people they can find. And unfortunately, this tends to be the elderly, those with multiple properties, and those with mental or physical disabilities who live somewhat isolated lives.

There are a few reasons for this. For one, they tend to be isolated and lonely, which makes them more trusting and more willing to welcome strangers into their lives. In the case of the elderly, they often own multiple properties, are mortgage-free, and sometimes own investment properties that sit vacant and often unattended.

How To Protect Yourself Against Home Title Fraud?

There are a few simple ways to lower your risk of having home title fraud committed against you. Start by keeping a close eye on your bills. If you ever notice someone else’s name on your bills or other mail related to your property, you should treat this as a major red flag. Similarly, if you notice that utility bills aren’t arriving as they should, there could be something wrong.

You can keep an eye on your credit score as well. Credit monitoring is available through various companies that will notify you if there are issues such as overdue bills or unpaid mortgage fees impacting your credit score.

If you have empty vacation or investment properties, check on them from time to time. Unfortunately, it can take months for you to notice that something is wrong if you aren’t regularly checking in. Home title monitoring services can also help, as they will notify you of any changes that require your attention.

What does a home title monitoring service do?

Home title monitoring services are designed to keep you informed about the status of your property title. In short, they will alert you immediately if there are any changes to your title or other activity that might indicate fraudulent activity. In some cases, home title monitoring services will provide assistance if problems do arise.

FAQ

Can a home title monitoring service prevent home title fraud?

No, home title monitoring services don’t usually prevent home title fraud on their own. However, they are designed to notify you of any suspicious activity surrounding your home title, enabling you to take action if fraud does occur. In some cases, your home title monitoring service will provide assistance in resolving issues if fraud or signs of fraud are noticed.

How common is home title fraud?

Hard numbers are difficult to find, but the truth is that home title fraud is extremely uncommon. A 2017 study by the FBI estimated that there are 9,600 cases of home title fraud per year. If we take into account all of the properties owned in the US, this equates to approximately 0.0001% of homes. As you should be able to tell, this is a negligible number.