HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I hope that your Holiday Season was festive and fun, filled with laughter, love, and a healthy dose of Giving. May your 2023 be AMAZING!
Now let’s get down to it.
Title Fraud – The sale of a property by an individual that is “impersonating” the legal and rightful owner of the property, where the “Fraudster” will list, sell, and collect the funds for the sold property, without the knowledge or permission of the rightful, actual owner.
It sounds like something that only happens on TV, but it really does happen, and the attempts are getting more and more common here in Yavapai County. In fact, I have personally been contacted by 2 separate Fraudsters over the past few months in an attempt to list different properties for quick sale, which turned out to be Fraudulent Sellers. Luckily, I was able to determine that they were Fraudsters pretty quickly, but only because I was already on high alert.
These Fraudsters are very good at what they do. They both presented proper ID, they had vast knowledge of the properties and areas that they were attempting to sell, they had a backstory on when they purchased the property, and they had legitimate sounding reasons on why they needed to sell quickly. They both also had several Red Flags, Neither “Seller” was located locally, neither was able to Video Verify their identity via Zoom, both had to sell quickly and for a relatively low price, and both had Vacant Land that had been owned for several years.
What would’ve happened if I hadn’t recognized those Red Flags? Probably, the true Owners of those properties would’ve been Victims of Title Fraud, and by the time they realized it, there wouldn’t be much they could do about it.
It’s heartbreaking to think that someone, somewhere, is being victimized by these Terrible people as we speak.
“It’s the one constant in life. You build (have) something worth having, someone’s gonna try to take it.”
Don’t allow yourself to become a Victim! Be diligent and mindful of your property. Especially if you own Vacant Land. TALK to your neighbors, and they know that you will never list your property for sale without letting them know first. That way if they see or hear something out of the ordinary, they’ll contact you immediately. Do the same for them.
Frequently check your Parcel info on GIS.Yavapaicountyaz.gov, where you will be able to see all ownership information and Recorded Documents regarding your parcel.
Sign up for Yavapai County’s Eagle Fraud Guard. This is a free service to citizens that will proactively monitor and alert you when a document is registered in your name in Yavapai County.
As a Real Estate Agent, I promise to ALWAYS do my due diligence to make sure that my clients, both Buyers and Sellers, are protected as best I can. As a property Owner, you need to be sure to stay alert and informed.
For more information on Yavapai County’s Eagle Fraud Guard program, contact the Recorder's Office at 928-771-3244 or [email protected].
For more suggestions on how to protect your property from Title Fraud, or to Buy / Sell your property, contact me, Your Real Estate Concierge, Christine Sirochman at (928) 848-8830 or [email protected]
