KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Starting on Monday October 3, Property Fraud Alert will be offered to the public allowing them to have their name monitored within the Register’s office as a free consumer property protection alert.
“I encourage everyone who owns land in the county to sign up for this simple and no-cost program that could save property owners thousands of dollars and years of aggravation,” said Kalamazoo County Register of Deeds Meredith Place.
According to statistics provided by the FBI, property and mortgage fraud is one of the fastest growing white-collar crimes in the country.
The program is part of a new software system being implemented in the Kalamazoo County Clerk and Register of Deeds office.
“Property Fraud Alert acts as an early warning system for property owners to take appropriate actions should they determine possible fraudulent activity has occurred,” said Place.
A typical 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 and “snowbirds” who spend parts of the year out of town.
“The job of the Register of Deeds is to record land records, not determine whether the document is valid. This new service will be invaluable so that property owners, or their designee, are alerted when someone is trying to mortgage their property without their permission,” said Place.
Property Fraud Alert will notify property owners via phone or email when a document is recorded in Kalamazoo County free of charge.
Those interested in more information and signing up for the program can visit https://www.propertyfraudalert.com/MIKalamazoo.
Content provided by: Niyja Bouie, Public Information Officer, Kalamazoo County Government
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